Hansard

In opening the debate for the Government I will admit a rare thing in politics, which is that I care fairly deeply about whether the Parliament intends to accept the premise that I put forward today. It would be fairly uncontentious anywhere else on earth, and it is this: that it is reasonable for anyone in any country to expect that school will give them access to and knowledge of their country’s culture.

I believe that premise—and I declare an interest, which my register of interests will show—as someone who is involved in various cultural organisations. I also believe it as someone who, for all the many good things about my experience of school, somehow managed to grow up in the same place as did both Sir Walter Scott and James Hogg without hearing either of their names mentioned in secondary school.

The Government’s commitment to Scottish studies in schools has sparked some intemperate language in the political arena. [Interruption.] I hear some from parts of the chamber already. Things have been said about this that I earnestly hope some politicians are suitably embarrassed about now. I note that the words “indoctrination” and “brainwashing”, for instance, are absent from the Opposition amendments—that much at least is to be welcomed.

Be in no doubt: the public has warmly welcomed the commitment to Scottish studies, with recent research showing a 90 per cent level of support. That is because the vast majority of people recognise that learning about Scotland’s history, languages, literature and culture should be an integral and natural part of a young person’s experiences. So we will strengthen the place of Scotland in learning through the curriculum, ensuring that all and not just some children and young people can access a distinct strand of learning about Scotland and Scottish culture.

Young people have an entitlement to a broad general education as part of curriculum for excellence. That must include enabling them to develop a knowledge and understanding of Scotland and its place in the world. Understanding Scottish culture and connecting with Scotland as a place through our landscape and natural heritage are an important part of developing a sense of worth, confidence and wellbeing—all the things that enable people to flourish in learning, life and work.

During the debate on the Scottish Government’s legislative programme on 8 September, Johann Lamont highlighted her experience from school as evidence that we need take no further action on Scottish studies. If Ms Lamont’s experience of the classroom, both as a pupil and as a teacher, was one where Scottish history and literature were taught, I warmly commend that. I do not doubt that over the years some young people have benefitted from first-class learning about Scotland, including Scottish literature, history and poetry. However—believe me—that simply is not the experience of everyone. The real point, which the Opposition amendments regrettably seem unwilling to accept, is that we have a duty to ensure that learning about Scotland and its culture is not a fortunate accident for some, but an expectation for all.

As to other objections that Ms Lamont raised in her remarkable contribution on 8 September, most notable was the claim that the Scottish National Party is hell-bent on trying to tell children that no bad landlord has ever been Scottish or that we want to write women out of Scottish history—I hardly know where to begin on that. Let me instead leave rebuttal to Dr Wilson McLeod, a senior lecturer in Celtic and Scottish studies, who said recently about Scottish studies:

“Far from giving a biased and nationalistic view of Scotland’s past, it could also pierce ‘romantic history’ about the likes of Culloden and the Clearances”.

During the 2009 year of homecoming, we saw some wonderful examples of pupils learning about their country and its contribution to the world, including the winner of the homecoming Scottish education award: Iochdar primary school in my constituency. I hasten to add that it got that award before I became the Minister for Learning and Skills. At the end of it, young people in schools that had entered the competition for the homecoming award were asking why they could not have the opportunity to learn about Scotland every year. Well, we intend to ensure that such opportunities become embedded across the curriculum.

There is a strong sense of necessity here. Coherence, relevance, progression and depth are key principles in the new curriculum, and providing greater structure to learn about Scotland will be enabled by Scottish studies. We know from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education reports that since 2007 schools have been developing approaches to planning the Scottish dimension in history that are more coherent. We consider it vital that that continues to be developed, not only in terms of history but across the curriculum. Proposals will therefore be developed and implemented in a way that strengthens curriculum for excellence, providing a more relevant and connected learning experience that raises ambition and attainment for all.

Earlier this month, I chaired the first meeting of the Scottish studies working group. The group has an excellent blend of experience and insight from the fields of academia, the Scots and Gaelic languages, literature, culture and, most important, teaching. We are privileged to have the Scots makar, Liz Lochhead, join the group, as well as the musician Phil Cunningham and Scottish literary authority Professor Douglas Gifford. There is a strong appreciation within the group of the value of ensuring that pupils can access learning about Scotland while avoiding any risk of marginalising Scottish subjects.

In taking this work forward, it is important to appreciate that we are not starting with a blank canvas. The place of Scotland in learning has been significantly strengthened through curriculum for excellence. There are many opportunities to develop relevant and engaging learning about Scotland and Scottish culture in curricular areas including social studies, through Scottish history, geography and modern studies; expressive arts; languages; and health and wellbeing.

Outdoor learning also provides an exciting opportunity to engage and inspire young people in a wide range of environments. This is not, as some commentators seem to have imagined, all about history.

Schools such as Carleton primary in Glenrothes are leading the way. Scottish culture at Carleton is organised thematically with each primary following a programme. I was also impressed by the cross-curricular approach being taken in Dunfermline high, which I visited earlier this month.

Let me stress one other thing: it is vital that Scottish studies underpins an international perspective as young people develop as responsible global citizens with the skills, knowledge, understanding and values to succeed in a fast-changing world.

The place of learning about Scottish history has been greatly strengthened in recent years through online resources and the introduction of the mandatory Scottish history unit in higher history.

During the last academic year, more than 20,000 young people throughout Scotland benefited from the heritage education travel subsidy scheme, which has opened up access to heritage education at sites including the new Robert Burns birthplace museum, New Lanark world heritage site, Bannockburn and Edinburgh and Stirling castles. I am looking to see whether Murdo Fraser is in the chamber. He objected to the scheme at the time. It gives me great pleasure to announce that the Scottish Government will continue its support for the heritage education travel subsidy scheme for 2012-13. Clearly, it is appreciated by teachers and young people alike.

Among many other aspects of Scotland’s culture, Gaelic is a vital part of what we are trying to do. Gaelic is one of our national languages and we have a collective responsibility to ensure that it flourishes. The recent survey of public attitudes to Gaelic made clear the overwhelming support for Scottish studies and showed that 81 per cent of the Scottish public feel that it is important that Scotland does not lose its Gaelic language traditions.

We should also recognise and value the place of Scots literature and language in Scottish culture and ensure that it has a firm place in learning. Practical steps include working with local authorities, national bodies and groups such as the Scots Language Centre, Scottish Language Dictionaries and the Robert Burns museum to support progress.

We will also look at how we can take forward the recommendations of the Scots language working group and are planning to establish a network of Scots co-ordinators in schools.

Clearly, the scope and range of Scottish studies is enormous throughout the journey through primary and secondary school. We therefore also expect there to be opportunities for learners to continue their studies within a Scottish context in the senior phase. That will include recognition of such learning within qualifications that incentivise progression and attainment.

There is a significant number of national courses that have opportunities and aspects that can be studied and assessed within a Scottish context. Those opportunities will be strengthened within the new curriculum for excellence national qualifications, which will be implemented from 2013-14.

We are also exploring the potential for a specific qualification in Scottish studies. Let me be clear—this is something that has caused much slightly ill-informed debate in the press—that the working party is keen to investigate a range of models. A qualification could, for instance, include recognising the study that young people undertake on Scottish themes across a range of subject areas and at different levels, but, as yet, the group has reached no conclusions.

All young people deserve the opportunity to learn about their country, and nowhere else but here would that be questioned. Those who still do might perhaps wish to consider taking a deep breath and turning away from their own constitutional obsessions for one moment. [Interruption.] Those people obviously recognise the problem that they have. They would see that Scottish studies is healthy, normal and supported by people across the political spectrum and across the world of education—it is also supported by parents.

There are good examples of embedding Scottish subjects into the curriculum in schools, but that is not being done everywhere across the country and we want all—not just some—young people to have a clearer understanding of Scotland and the world.

One of the wisest comments made in the press following some of the more hysterical political reactions to my initial announcement about Scottish studies came from a Mr Hugh Reilly. In his article in The Scotsman, Mr Reilly said that, for whatever it was worth, he viewed himself as a traditional Labour voter. He also said:

“I’m speculating here, but Scotland must be the only country in the world where teaching children the history of their own nation is perceived to be treason. The idea that introducing Scottish Studies to the national curriculum is brainwashing our children is farcical beyond belief.”

Indeed.

Let us start being serious about the issue. Let today’s debate be the start of a positive recognition by the Parliament as a whole that every young Scot has a right to learn about their country and, through that knowledge, to learn about the many other peoples of the world. Believe me: there is a world out there that regards all this stuff as pretty normal and, in Scotland’s case, long overdue.

I move,

That the Parliament welcomes the 90% level of support for Scottish Studies in a recent survey; agrees that it is essential that all young people should have the opportunity to learn and be better informed about their country and its place in the world, including its historical, literary, linguistic and cultural inheritance as well as its landscape and natural heritage, and that such learning provides a more relevant and connected learning experience that raises ambition and attainment for all, and supports the Scottish Government’s desire to develop a distinct strand of learning around Scottish Studies for all pupils in the context of the Curriculum for Excellence, providing greater coherence without marginalisation.