Independence: what you need to know

Education and wellbeing

The Scottish Government’s policies for what independence would mean for education and lifelong learning, at a glance:

• further tackle child poverty to provide a strong foundation for every young person to succeed and flourish in education
• enhance children’s rights
• enshrine the right to education in the interim constitution, effective from day one of independence
• further invest in childcare, creating a wrap-around system for all of Scotland’s families
• re-join the European Union which would allow Scottish students to participate in exchange programmes through Erasmus+

Independence and a future Scottish education system

With independence Scotland could build on the successes of devolution and put in place the policies needed for transformational change.

Scotland already has:

• a system of high quality, funded early learning and childcare
• an internationally recognised school education system providing equity of opportunity for all
• world class colleges and universities where access to education is based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay

Independence would put significant powers in Scotland’s hands and give future Scottish governments opportunities to do things differently on a range of key issues, including:

• children’s rights and poverty
• early learning and childcare
• parental leave

With independence, there could also be an enhanced approach to education and lifelong learning.

Future Scottish governments could tackle child poverty at source by making foundations for learning even stronger. This would give every young person the best chance possible of succeeding at school and in post-school education.

This Scottish Government would enshrine economic, social and cultural rights – including the right to education - in the interim constitution, effective from day one of independence.

This Scottish Government would also propose that the policy on free university tuition becomes part of an independent Scotland’s permanent constitution, subject to the deliberations of a future Constitutional Convention

More information is available in the:

• education and lifelong learning paper
• constitution paper

Rights and wellbeing

The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up.

With independence, Scotland could use all the levers other governments have to reduce child poverty. This would help to ensure every child in Scotland has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Future Scottish governments would be able to incorporate - in full - the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law, further enhancing children’s rights. 

With independence, future Scottish governments could further invest in childcare, creating a wrap-around system for all of Scotland’s families. Scotland could consider further improvements to childcare, including:

• taking different decisions on schemes reserved to the UK Government such as Universal Credit Childcare and Tax Free Childcare
• fundamental reforms, such as changes to school starting ages

Future Scottish governments in an independent Scotland could consider improvements to the parental leave and pay system, with higher minimum standards than those currently set by the UK Government.

This could include gradual improvements by:

• enhancing paid maternity leave
• for partners and fathers, improving the current statutory two week leave and pay provision and providing additional weeks of shared parental leave taken at the end of the fifty two week maternity period
• ensuring those who experience miscarriage receive three days paid leave

With full powers over equalities in an independent Scotland, a future Scottish Government could work with the care experienced community, building on the existing unwavering shared commitment to Keep the Promise, to decide if making ‘care experience’ a protected characteristic is a change that would be welcomed.

European Union membership

Scotland’s approach to education and lifelong learning is distinctly outward looking.

That is why being part of the EU and participating in collaborative and creative programmes is so important to this Scottish Government, our educational institutions and our students.

An independent Scotland would seek to re-join the European Union (EU) as soon as possible after independence.

As part of the EU, Scottish students could take part in student exchange programmes through the Eramus+ programme – the European Union’s exchange programme for education, training, youth and sport.

An independent Scotland in the EU could:

• recruit workers to meet the needs of the education workforce, including language teachers
• continue to welcome students from EU countries to our world class colleges and universities
• allow Scottish students and teachers to benefit from Erasmus+ once again, opening opportunities for new collaboration for university and college staff
• allow students who live in Scotland to enjoy the same access to further and higher education at institutions in EU countries as students living in those countries

With independence, international graduates of Scottish universities could apply to stay in Scotland for a further five years, after which they would become eligible for settlement. Graduates who live overseas could also return to Scotland on this route.

Read more in the:

• education and lifelong learning paper
• EU paper
• migration paper