The Scottish Parliament has confirmed that in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, young people aged 16 and 17 will have the opportunity to vote (ie two years earlier than in local and national government elections).
Since many 16 and 17 year-olds are at school, SPTC has considered the question of how (and indeed if) the issue of the referendum will be addressed in schools.
In coming to a considered view, we make the following points:
- SPTC has no party or other political allegiance: as an organisation we are here to provide services and support to our parent members and provide a parental perspective to the many stakeholders in Scottish education
- Community involvement and citizenship are implicit and explicit within CfE
SPTC POSITION
As a parent-led organisation, working with teachers, we recognise the significant opportunity presented to both pupils and teaching staff in addressing a live issue which challenges young people’s understanding of economics, politics, psychology, geography and many other subject areas.
As such, we believe the forthcoming referendum is a legitimate and indeed valuable learning opportunity with which our schools should engage in a meaningful way.
We support the notion of a nationally-agreed strategy and believe schools should consider carefully how to implement a programme, opening a discussion with their parent body as to their plans. Ways should be found to engage parents in the process through involvement in events (eg debates) and also providing suggestions for projects and discussion at home.
We are keenly aware that there are strongly-held views around Scottish independence, on both sides of the argument. However, we do not believe schools should shy away from the discussion and in fact will play a key role in helping our young people to ensure their voting decision is made after careful research, debate and consideration of evidence.
We recognise that through the work of Modern Studies teachers and other staff, Scottish schools have a long tradition of engaging young people in controversial issues while ensuring that they are exposed to a balanced range of information and views. The referendum presents an important opportunity to build on this tradition.