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Updated: Saturday, March 13, 2010 | Printer Friendly Version | |

Education and Equality Motions

Education Funding
EIS-FELA will ask the Funding Council to provide adequate, ring fenced funding for all eligible students to undertake the course of their choice following the successful movement of a motion by John Cassidy (Cardonald College). Mr Cassidy argued that cutting bursaries and reducing the length of courses from 40 hours to as low as 16 hours taught time resulted in “students not receiving the quality of education they deserve.” 

In a related motion, the EIS-FELA National Executive will organise a national campaign in defence of funding in Further Education.  Mover of the motion John Kelly (Reid Kerr College) highlighted the “burgeoning bureaucracy associated with support services” and called on Conference to focus on the need to defend front line services in particular and to highlight the need to focus funding on teaching and learning.

Supporting speaker Donny Gluckstein (Stevenson College) highlighted a 44% increase in support staff in 10 years and seriously questioned the business culture which was affecting the educational experience of many students in the Further Education sector.

Conference agreed and passed the motion unanimously.

General Teaching Council Scotland
Conference reiterated current EIS-FELA policy that “the General Teaching Council (Scotland) should be the professional body for Lecturers teaching in an FE College in Scotland, and that registration should be compulsory for all lecturers as soon as they have achieved the necessary entry qualification into the GTC(S).”  Mover of the motion John Cassidy (Cardonald College) highlighted the benefits that accrue to lecturers in gaining registration with GTC(S) along with the high quality CPD associated with the achievement of TQ (FE). 

Hugh Paton (Anniesland College) agreed but acknowledged that EIS-FELA should not be complacent and had to be proactive in persuading members of the benefits.  He warned that both TQ (FE) and remission time for study were under threat.  He drew comparison with colleagues in schools where there was compulsory registration and recommended the GTC(S) model which “provides links and a holistic approach between schools and FE”. 

Conference agreed by passing the motion with a very large majority.

Class Sizes
The debate which attracted most contributions was on the important issue of class sizes.  “Increasing class sizes and cutting down the teaching time both affect the quality of education provision and educational experiences” warned mover of the motion John Cassidy (Cardonald College).  In seconding the motion, Hugh Paton (Anniesland College) said “This is a serious issue for EIS-FELA especially when applications to FE colleges are increasing.”  Mr Paton then highlighted the issues of quality of provision, workload and health and safety matters, warning that the year on year increase in student numbers could not be accommodated in lecturing spaces designed for 20 students.

Supporting speakers agreed and called on the Funding Council to agree the class maxima for the various courses set in the EIS-FELA advice paper to College Branch Secretaries.  Alan Ferguson (James Watt College) stated that class sizes should be treated the same way as class contact time and that cuts in delivery time inevitably lead to an increase in class sizes and a reduction in the educational experience. 

John Kelly (Reid Kerr College) called on the EIS-FELA National Executive “to prepare college branches for this campaign and to build support for the long haul.”  Billy Colclough (Glasgow Metropolitan College) agreed and urged the EIS-FELA National Executive “to build support through the students and the student organisations.”  Penny Gower (Stevenson College) highlighted that current health and safety legislation and regulations could be used to keep class sizes low.  “Students deserve a decent education and we need to build up the branches to address this issue” she said. 

The motion was carried unanimously.

EIS FELA Annual Conference 2010