Education
Robert Brown MSP
Deputy Minister for Education and Young People
Young people are the future of Scotland. We must ensure that they are not held back by bigotry and prejudice. It is important that this process begins in pre-school when a child's view of the world is being formed, and is carried through into school, youth work settings and beyond into Further and Higher Education. While other influences also help to form a young person's outlook on life, the influence of education remains strong and that is why it is so important to ensure that our young people are equipped to challenge the bigoted attitudes that they may encounter as they journey through life.
We have made an excellent start to supporting schools, pre-schools and youth workers in challenging sectarianism with young people by launching the web-based education resource Sectarianism: Don't Give It, Don't Take It in March 2005. The resource contains materials which can be used across the curriculum including good practice examples, lesson ideas, group work exercises, quizzes and school assembly ideas.
To support the education resource, we held seminars and a national conference for teachers during 2005. They demonstrated how the resource can be used with pupils to maximise its impact. In addition, 5 days of workshops to support youth workers in using the education resource are planned for 2006. We will also be launching a training DVD for teachers and youth workers, demonstrating how to use the different interactive approaches from the resource, and will continue to publicise the anti-sectarian education resource to teachers, youth workers and young people across Scotland.
In 2006 Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education will establish a multi-agency group to produce a new anti-sectarianism report. The report will identify good practice examples of how the resource and other materials have been used in various settings to address the key themes of anti-sectarian work with young people, and will be of considerable benefit to other education practitioners.
During 2006 we will provide £100,000 to support anti-sectarian project work in schools, promote use of the anti-sectarian education resource and develop innovative approaches to tackling sectarianism. We will also provide £13,500 to support the use of the resource in youth work.
(ACTION 1)
It is important that we do not rely solely on traditional classroom-based materials when tackling sectarianism. Feedback from practitioners using the resource material indicated that drama is one of the most effective ways to engage young people in discussions about sectarianism. That is why we are working with Sense Over Sectarianism to adapt the powerful anti-sectarian play 'Singing I'm No A Billy, He's A Tim' for use in schools. Associated learning materials will be incorporated into the resource website to build on the existing drama material.
We will run seven pilot performances and supporting education workshops of the anti-sectarian play 'Singing I'm No A Billy, He's A Tim', which will involve 700 pupils from across Scotland, by June 2006.
(ACTION 2)
We are also looking at ways to allow children to learn from each other and support them in breaking down the barriers that they may perceive between themselves and other children. One of the ways we are doing this is by promoting opportunities for twinning between denominational and non-denominational schools through working in partnership with local authorities, the Catholic Church and other relevant bodies. This will allow children and young people to get a better understanding of each other's backgrounds and foster friendship between the pupils. To start this process we will hold a seminar on twinning in spring 2006. The seminar will highlight the role twinning can play in tackling sectarianism and in bringing communities together. To demonstrate good practice on how this can be done we will invite those currently involved in twinning arrangements to share their experiences at the seminar.
Using the seminar outcomes as a basis we will produce an information pack for schools and local authorities, highlighting the principles of twinning, distilling the good practice examples, illustrating ways to overcome potential barriers, and containing a comprehensive list of twinning activities and contacts. This will be published mid-2006.
(ACTION 3)
The actions outlined above will undoubtedly lead to a great deal of activity in our schools. It is important to not only recognise this, but to also recognise the good work that is being taken forward in many schools already.
To raise the profile of the work that is being taken forward to tackle sectarian bigotry at school level, an anti-sectarianism category will be developed for the Scottish Education Awards 2006.
(ACTION 4)
Of course, tackling sectarianism through education is not confined to school-age children. We can help our children develop positive attitudes towards others right from pre-school. By using the findings of the report A Curriculum for Excellence we have the opportunity to develop a single coherent curriculum for 3-18 year olds that will include help to support young people in understanding the rich tapestry of diverse cultures and beliefs that make up modern Scotland. It will also support them in developing concern, tolerance, care and respect for themselves, others and society as a whole.
All students studying in further and higher education institutions in Scotland have a right to a quality learning experience in an environment free from sectarianism, bigotry or any form of discrimination. By working in partnership with the National Union of Students ( NUS) Scotland, the Association of Scottish Colleges and Universities Scotland we can communicate that message clearly through Scotland's colleges and universities. With the support of the Executive, NUS Scotland began an anti-sectarian campaign in Scotland to help empower students to stand up to sectarian abuse in November 2005.
To support the NUS Scotland anti-sectarianism campaign we are providing £10,000 to produce a range of materials that can be used by students' associations to ensure that the anti-sectarian message reaches thousands of students in campuses across Scotland during 2006/07.
(ACTION 5)