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The politics of shaping education
Key to the successful development of education in Scotland is the rigorous scrutiny of plans and policy. Teaching Scotland catches up with the convener of the parliamentary committee responsible for this
Please describe to us your role within the Education and Culture Committee.
Stewart Maxwell (SM): Each committee has a convener, whose role is to chair meetings and ensure that business is conducted effectively. Convenerships reflect the balance of the political parties in the parliament. However, I have made it clear to all the MSPs on the committee that I am there to carry out the role of convener, not just as an SNP member.
The committee’s role is to scrutinise legislation, policy, budgetary proposals and other matters within our remit. In short, we seek to hold the Scottish Government to account and to ensure that issues of importance to people in Scotland are debated. I am keen to ensure that all members of the committee play a full part in carrying out this work.
What background/experience do you have in education?
SM: Before I joined the parliament, I worked for the Scottish Training Foundation helping unskilled, long-term unemployed people back into work. I saw first-hand the importance of education in giving people the positive foundations they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. Additionally, I worked in Strathclyde Fire Brigade training centre for just over a year, supporting their work for professional training of staff.
In 2003, I was elected to the parliament and have since gained a breadth of experience in a number of positions, and for two years I was a government minister – so I have experience of both questioning and being questioned in committee meetings. All this stands me in good stead for this role. For example, in the second session, I was on the Justice Committee and many of the issues we talked about feed directly back to education matters – lack of basic literacy skills, poor attendance and a feeling of having been failed by the system. Seeing policy issues in the wider context is so important – you do need to focus on the matters in your remit and power, but everything connects outside these silos in everyday life and we need to understand those connections.
What do you see as the priorities of the committee during the Parliament?
SM: The priority for this committee, like all committees, is to hold the Scottish Government to account for its actions. This is an incredibly busy period for Scottish education, with numerous Scottish Government policy and legislative changes in the pipeline, and we will play a full role in questioning the government’s approach. That said, I know that the committee will play a constructive role and not simply be critical for the sake of it.
Our committee, the majority of whose members are new to the parliament, has already undertaken the core committee tasks of budget and legislative scrutiny and is currently undertaking an inquiry. This is an important foundation for a new committee and I know our new members have appreciated this range of work and interaction so early on in the parliamentary session.
What in your opinion are the main opportunities facing education and how can your work facilitate these?
SM: Looking ahead over the next few years, there are really two big themes in education policy that we will be heavily involved in: the likely overhaul of university and further education funding, structure and governance; and forthcoming bills on children’s rights and children’s services. The committee will scrutinise this legislation extremely closely, which will rely on getting the expert input of witnesses from across the education and children’s sectors. It is becoming ever more apparent that solutions to some of our long-standing educational problems will come from joint working between all staff who work with and have a responsibility for children.
While these pieces of legislation will impact on our work programme over the next couple of years, we will preserve time to react to other issues of the day. We are not chasing a populist agenda; rather, it is important that we have scope to respond to topical matters and to develop our own work. For example, the committee will soon publish a report on its inquiry into the educational attainment of looked-after children. This is an area where considerable energy – and money – has been expended since devolution but where progress has not been as great as expected.
We owe it to these children, who often come from chaotic and complex backgrounds, to produce a thoughtful report with recommendations that might lead to some progress being made.
What in your opinion are the main challenges facing education and how can your work mitigate these?
SM: The committee is aware of the reaction across the teaching profession to the recent Review of Teacher Employment in Scotland, chaired by Professor Gerry McCormac. We held the first public on-the-record meeting of the main organisations and unions involved and then heard from Professor McCormac and another member of his team.
It is really important for the committee to keep talking to all parts of the education sector – from ministers developing policy to those responsible for delivering it, through to those receiving the education services. For our looked-after children inquiry, we visited a range of educational services in Glasgow, meeting with staff and children alike. While it is perfectly right and proper to hear from chief executives and leaders of representative groups, there is something powerful about witnessing things in school or college for yourself.
There is often an assumption that committees are just full of MSPs talking to each other. If we do that, we fail the people we represent and indeed the founding principles of this parliament.
Our committee offers those in the education sector a great opportunity to get involved in the scrutiny of policy and to help politicians make the best decisions possible. I hope that the education sector will welcome this direct engagement and look forward to hearing from your members during this session.