Education
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Gender balance in STEM
26th January 2017 by Education News Team
Today the Minister for Further and Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville, led a roundtable discussion with Scotland’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sheila Rowan, about gender inequality in STEM fields. They were joined at the Scottish Parliament by representatives from across the sector to discuss actions to tackle the issue as part of the ongoing STEM consultation but...
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New childcare pilots announced
23rd December 2016 by Mark McDonald
Yesterday, I was fortunate to visit Larkhall Children’s Centre, meet the children, staff and parents and see for myself how the nursery there is helping deliver the Scottish Government’s aims to expand free early learning and childcare. The children were fantastic and it was clear that they are benefitting from an extremely high quality of...
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Scotland’s budget – delivering for colleges
22nd December 2016 by Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP
Last week, the Scottish Government’s budget underlined the importance that we are placing on education. Overall, total investment in education and skills will go up by £170 million in 2017/18. We will invest an initial £60m in the infrastructure required to deliver our transformational childcare reforms; Scotland’s schools will get £120 million more to tackle...
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Widening access – Paula’s story
16th December 2016 by Education News Team
At the event to unveil the Fair Access Commissioner at Glasgow University, the new Commissioner and Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville met some of the students who have been able to study at the university thanks to its widening access programme. Here, one of the students – Paula – shares her story....
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Commissioner for Fair Access
16th December 2016 by Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP
Professor Peter Scott has been appointed Commissioner for Fair Access to Higher Education in Scotland. This was a key point in the report from the Commission on Widening Access published earlier this year. The Scottish Government has committed to implementing its recommendations in full. Prof Scott is currently Professor of Higher Education studies at University College...
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Nobel Prize in Chemistry
5th October 2016 by Education News Team
Following the announcement that Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa have been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville has offered her congratulations. The team won the prize in recognition for their pioneering work in nanotechnology, in particular the design and...
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World Teachers’ Day
5th October 2016 by Education News Team
It’s World Teachers’ Day and Education Secretary John Swinney marked the occasion with a visit to Dalgety Bay Primary School, where he met teachers and pupils and opened the school’s new Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) laboratory. While there he said: “I would like to take the opportunity this World Teachers’ Day to...
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Nobel Prize in Physics
4th October 2016 by Education News Team
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville, has congratulated David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz – the team awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics – for their work on strange forms of matter. Two of the winners – David Thouless and Michael Kosterlitz – were born in Scotland. Ms Somerville said: “Congratulations...
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DFM responds to EIS decision to suspend industrial action in schools
30th September 2016 by John Swinney MSP
This is welcome news from the EIS and I am delighted that they have confirmed suspending a programme of industrial action in relation to teacher workload. Over the past few months, I have listened carefully to what teachers, parents, young people and others have had to say on workload, and have responded positively with a range...
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Devolution of responsibility to schools
13th September 2016 by John Swinney MSP
Today I set out this Government’s vision for the most critically important part of our early years and school education system – our teachers, practitioners and their relationship with our children.