Question reference: S5W-30062
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 19 June 2020
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Current status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 July 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the next steps are for the short-term working group on diversity in the teaching profession, in light of the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Answer
Despite a small increase in the diversity of Scottish teaching in recent years, we acknowledge that there is still unacceptable under-representation of BAME teachers at all levels in Scotland’s schools – the Scottish Government continues to be committed as a minimum, to doubling existing numbers by 2030 through implementing the recommendations of the Teaching in a Diverse Scotland report.
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, will we hope, help to improve awareness and the importance of ensuring that our teaching profession, at all levels, reflects the broader diversity of the Scottish population. The messages which are stemming from BLM, should act to encourage more active leadership and engagement by all key Scottish education stakeholders, to help achieve many of the report’s recommendations.