Earlier this week, Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament were invited to provide evidence to The Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee.
MSYP who gave evidence included SYP Chair Ellie Craig MSYP and the Convener and Deputy Convener of SYP’s Education and Lifelong Learning Committee Jordana Rae MSYP and Sophie Kerrigan MSYP, respectively. Beau Johnston MSYP, who has represented SYP during recent discussions on behaviour in schools, and Beinn Grant MSYP, who played a significant role in the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment, also were in attendance at the session.
Speaking about the opportunity for the Committee to hear directly from young people, Ellie Craig MSYP said:
“Thank you to the Education, Children and Young People Committee at the Scottish Parliament for inviting me and my fellow MSYPs to give evidence today. I really enjoyed the sessions and appreciated the Committee taking the time to meet listen to the views of young people.
“I hope our calls on meaningful engagement and particularly on making sure young people’s views are valued and taken seriously are helpful to the Committee and that this session encourages other decision makers to further consider how they can meaningfully engage with young people in their work.”
During the meeting, referring to current legislation making its way through Parliament, Ellie told Committee members: “We’re very clear that the Education Bill is not education reform”.
Following the evidence session, Douglas Ross MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, said:
“I would like to thank Ellie, Jordana, Sophie, Beinn and Beau for their helpful evidence and contribution to the Committee.
“The MSYPs told us about the challenges children and young people face with mental health, social media and accessing support. They also spoke passionately about the importance of involving children and young people in any consultations about changes to schools and the broader education system.
“We will look to follow up on their concerns in our upcoming inquiries and look forward to hearing more from Scotland’s MSYPs in the future.”
MSPs heard from MSYPs about many different topics including education reform, youth work cuts, mental health, behaviour in schools as well as current progress on UNCRC incorporation.
The MSYP’s evidence session also received media coverage in The Herald, around the overall theme that the education system needs vital reforms to meet the needs of Scotland’s young people.
You can watch the MSYPs give evidence to the Committee via Scottish Parliament TV below:
