News and Current Issues
Proposed Cuts in Scottish education. . .
EIS launches major campaign, building up to an anticipated large demonstration in Glasgow, Saturday 6 March 2010.
Assembly will be at Kelvingrove Park at 10.30am with the march commencing at 11am for the march. The rally is expected at SECC at 12 noon.
Two coaches have been organised by the Scottish Borders Local Association of EIS to assist with transportation to and from Glasgow. One will set off from Hawick and cover high school catchments in the West of the authority and another will set off from Jedburgh and cover high school catchment areas in the East of the authority. To avoid an excessively long journey for those starting out in Jedburgh, it was decided to take a route through the mid-East between Earlston and Eyemouth. If anyone from Earlston or Eyemouth wish to take advantage of the transport arrangements they can meet the bus at the nearest stop.
Estimated timings are as follows . . . .
Hawick High School 8.00am, Selkirk High School 8.20am, Galashiels Academy 8.30am & Peebles High School 9.00am.
Jedburgh Grammar School 7.30am, Kelso High School 7.50am & Berwickshire High School 8.30am.
Further details will be sent to schools and colleges when they are available, and will also be posted on this website, the EIS website and featured in the SEJ.
Parents, teachers and pupils across Scotland are being urged to take to the streets to protest over cuts to education budgets.
The nationwide action, set to begin with a demonstration in Glasgow in March, is being organised by the Educational Institute of Scotland, the country’s largest teaching union.
Ronnie Smith, the union’s general secretary, said he hoped the campaign would send a “strong message” to all levels of government that children should not have to pay for the “cavalier behaviour” that led to the current recession.
“The threat to education funding is very real. Already, over the past year, we have seen significant cuts in education budgets and classroom resources right across the country,” he said.
“We now have almost 2500 fewer teachers than was the case two years ago and support staff numbers are also falling.
“Even basic resources such as books, paper and pencils are becoming scarce – all of this at a time when Scotland is undergoing a significant programme of curricular change.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said that, although budgets were tight, spending on education was still increasing.
“We are providing local authorities with significant funding. Total spending on education has increased over the last two years,” he said.
“However, the funding available to the Scottish Government – and therefore to local government – is under severe pressure. Difficult local and national decisions have to be made about spending priorities.”
1st edition of the EIS Campaign News which highlights budget cuts across the country:
http://www.eis.org.uk/public.asp?id=443&dbase=3
http://www.eis.org.uk/images/pdf/campaign%20news%20issue%201.pdf
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