Scotland’s education system must be urgently overhauled to ensure that it meets the challenges of the world and the years ahead, the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has said.
It has published 10 calls to action as part of its vision to “future proof” education.
Its Education and Skills 2050: Future Proofing Scotland report calls for “radical change” to match the needs of learners of all ages and backgrounds.
The report criticises the education reform undertaken by the government to date, saying it has focused on “institutional structure and governance rather than addressing substance”.
‘Optimal’ education by 2050
The RSE says its vision - which encompasses the curriculum, assessment, the way system performance is measured and the importance of teacher empowerment - could help Scotland achieve an “optimal” model of education and skills by 2050.
As part of its 10-point plan, it calls for “a modern curriculum that is fit for purpose” and “an assessment and qualifications system that is proportionate, agile, flexible and aligns with the outcomes the system wants to produce”.
The RSE also warns that data collected on the performance of the system is “often too narrow and rigid” - and that teachers “must be afforded the time and space” to participate in reform and offer their “invaluable insights into the realities of the classroom”.
The report says that Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence was “forward-thinking for its time” but faced “undeniable obstacles”.
It calls for “a radical review of the content of the curriculum, not just a subject-specific content review”.
On assessment, the RSE highlights International Baccalaureate (IB) qualifications as becoming more relevant because “they empower learners to sift through increasingly massive volumes of information” instead of focusing on “pure knowledge gain”.
It says the Scottish Diploma of Achievement, recommended by Professor Louise Hayward’s independent review of qualifications and assessment, is “in a similar vein”, offering a way “to better capture the full breadth of an individual’s learning beyond routine standardised assessments”.
The RSE states: “For assessment to remain useful, it must become an indication of an individual’s capacity to learn and apply their skills and knowledge, rather than merely capturing what they have learned.”
The 10 calls for action include:
- Agree on the purposes of Scottish education and how their effectiveness should be measured.
- Develop a coherent national long-term strategy for education and skills development spanning the entire system.
- Design a modern curriculum that is fit for purpose.
- Reform assessment and qualifications.
- Embrace the innovative potential of technology.
- Decide on meaningful metrics to measure system performance.
- Encourage society to value all educational pathways and destinations.
- Communicate effectively with businesses and employers to better understand their needs, as well as championing the wider value of education beyond “job readiness”.
- Empower those involved in the education and skills system to shape the future.
- Create an independent and trusted body that can highlight both areas of success and room for improvement.
The group said its 10 calls to action build on the positives of Scottish education, such as the commitment to interdisciplinary learning and the balance between skills and knowledge.
Janet Brown, the RSE’s education committee convener and former chief executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, said change was “imperative”, adding: “The modern world is vastly different to the world that birthed the principles that still characterise the Scottish education system.”
What should education look like?
Dr Brown said the proposals would be “better for Scotland’s learners at all levels and ages, and for society as a whole”.
She added: “What we need now is for Scottish society to really think long and hard about what a modern, adaptable and agile education environment should look like.”
A Scottish government spokesperson said that “a major programme of reform is being undertaken which will strengthen the national education landscape to meet the needs of future generations”.
This included “significant changes as part of the Education Bill currently going through Parliament, which will see the creation of a new national qualifications body drawing on the knowledge of pupils and teachers, as well as a new inspectorate with greater independence”.
This process will build on the recently published National Improvement Framework 2025, the spokesperson said.
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