Scotland's school pupils deserve praise

‘Global competence’ ranking delivers some much- needed good news for education system

When Scotland’s school pupils were ranked in 24th and 25th place for science and maths, respectively, out of 36 OECD countries in the international Pisa system last year, there was considerable justified criticism of the state of our onceproud education system.

And while this remains a serious problem to be addressed by the Scottish Government and all those involved, the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) has now delivered some good news for Scotland.

For our school pupils were placed fourth out of 27 nations for their ‘global competence’, which included a test about various issues affecting the world and their ability to understand the worldviews of others. In an adjoining questionnaire, the 15-yearold students were also asked about their opinions on immigrants and other cultures.

Overall, Scotland was ranked fourth behind Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong, scoring 534 compared to the average of 474. And, when asked if immigrants should have the same as everyone else in a country, 87.5 per cent of Scottish pupils agreed, compared to 80.2 per cent in other nations. Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS teaching union, said the Pisa report “reflects a broader societal commitment to what might be called the 'common weal'”. "Scotland's students scored exceptionally well in showing empathy with others and being concerned about the type of world in which we live. This confirms that the nurturing of values, which our schools are committed to, is bearing dividends,” he said.

This might sound a little nebulous to those more concerned with more economically useful skills.

However, in a world that has been dramatically reduced in its virtual size by the arrival of the internet, the ability to interact with other people around the world is an important one, whether one is a receptionist fielding a complaint call from a customer in a faraway land or a business executive seeking to attract investors.

Attitudes do matter. Despite the sins of Empire, Scotland has a good international reputation and needs to ensure this is maintained.

No amount of goodwill can make up for a fundamental lack of skills in practical subjects like science and maths but, that said, well done to pupils and teachers alike. You’ve done Scotland proud.