The national discussion on Scottish education has got under way and the central questions it will seek to answer are these: what kind of education will we need in the future and how do we make that a reality?

According to those leading the discussion, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for teachers and learners to make their views on education known.

The Scottish government says it has made participation “exceptionally straightforward”, with resources and toolkits available so that schools can get pupils engaged in answering questions like what they would retain about the current system and what their priorities for a future education system would be.

The government says there are also resources available so school leadership teams can facilitate similar discussions with staff until the closing date of 5 December, with the findings due to be reported in spring 2023.

However, on the ground, it might not feel like this is a rare opportunity that must be seized.

It was telling that one of the questions that resonated most with the audience at the official launch of the national discussion - held at the Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) yesterday - was about how to ensure those working in Scottish education “do not become weary of consultations and discussions, given the national discussion, Hayward review [on qualifications and assessment] and the ongoing education reform”.

As part of his report on the reform of education bodies - specifically, the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland - Professor Ken Muir launched a national consultation on the future of Scottish education.

Professor Louise Hayward, meanwhile, is taking forward the independent review of assessment and qualifications, and is also running a consultation as part of that work.

The discussion might feel badly timed, given the huge pressures schools are under as they continue to grapple with the fallout from Covid and begin to feel the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. Will there be time to engage?

Then there is the not insignificant matter of teacher pay and looming strike action to preoccupy minds. As the national discussion was getting under way at the SLF, a press release landed from Scotland’s largest teaching union, the EIS, saying the 5 per cent pay deal had been formally rejected and that to stop teachers walking out, Scotland’s local authorities and the government “must significantly up their offer”.

It is in this context that the government wants to establish a consensual vision for Scottish education.

However, speaking to Tes Scotland ahead of the SLF launch, education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville insisted it was time for a new national discussion.

First, she said, it was a key recommendation in the Muir report that “a compelling and consensual vision for the future of Scottish education” be agreed. She also pointed out that it was 20 years since a similar discussion was held - the 2002 “national debate” - and argued that it was timely because of the experience of the past couple of years, when education has looked “exceptionally different, for understandable reasons, during the pandemic”.

The 2002 national debate on education ran for three months and elicited more than 1,500 responses. It was estimated that 20,000 people took part.  

At that time, Labour’s Cathy Jamieson, who was minister for education and young people, said she was starting the debate because she wanted “a better understanding than ever before of what we really want from school education”.

The response of the SNP’s Michael Russell was that “it is the government’s role to provide answers”. He said he would be “more relieved if we received some of those answers now, instead of more questions”.

Doubtless, there will be those who agree with those sentiments today.

However, the academics that will take forward the national discussion and report on its findings - Professor Carol Campbell and Professor Alma Harris - also insist that the timing is right.

Harris, who, like Campbell, is also one of the Scottish government’s international education advisers, says that other countries are embarking on similar exercises, including Iceland, New Zealand and latterly Singapore, and that there is a good reason for that.

“It’s in recognition post-Covid, and given the challenges facing education systems, that now is the critical time to have a discussion. It could not be more important or more timely,” says Harris.

Not having enough time is “the perennial problem”, she says, but it is important “to focus on the right things, not the latest things”. Essentially, what they are asking children and teachers and parents to tell them is “what the right things are going forward”.

“This is their unique opportunity - probably a once-in-a-generation opportunity - to really give their views about education in a positive way that takes the Scottish education system forward,” Harris adds.

Campbell, meanwhile, says she understands that people are busy but describes the national discussion as a much needed chance to “pause and reflect”.

“Our world has changed dramatically - what children and young people need to know and do is changing, and that means our education system needs to change. And we do need to find the time to have that discussion.”

The online survey, resources and other information about engaging in the national discussion can be found here.