A head of the referendum on Scottish independence some 80% of 16 - 17 year olds to signed up to vote. Many young people began to imagine what it would be like to live in a country and in a world free of poverty and injustice. Teachers should be proud of their role in engaging this new generation of ‘Responsible Global Citizens’.
Making Scotland Fairer
Many people in Scotland have reconnected with politics. A key issue is inequality and how to make Scotland fairer with 1 in 5 of our children living in poverty. Scottish Government figures show that 820,000 people in Scotland were living in poverty in 2012-2013 – up 110,000 on the previous year. The EIS teaching union recently asked about the impact of poverty on children at school, and teachers noted : “More families are coming to us requesting referral to a food bank” ; “Hungry children are less attentive, and stealing food, toys, pencils”.
The combined wealth of the richest 1 per cent will overtake that of the other 99 per cent of people in 2016 unless the current trend of rising inequality is checked.
Extreme inequality is a barrier to poverty reduction. The main parties at the Scottish Parliament have recently described addressing inequality as a key policy objective and the Scottish Government has committed to the appointment of a new independent adviser on poverty and inequality. The Scottish public will be looking for some concrete action and real change.
Rising Inequality
In the last 20 years, the world has seen huge progress in the struggle against poverty. More people have access to safe drinking water, for example, and more children are able to go to school. However this progress is being threatened by rising inequality. Inequalities of gender, race, and religion are exacerbated by extreme economic inequality both between countries and increasingly within countries. Seven out of 10 people live in countries where the gap between rich and poor is greater than it was 30 years ago.
3 families in Scotland have the same wealth as the poorest 20 per cent of the population combined.
Even it Up
Oxfam is campaigning on inequality in Scotland, across the UK, and globally. The research paper Wealth: Having it all and wanting more published by Oxfam in January 2015 follows the recent launch of the global Even it Up campaign.
Based on the research in these reports, Oxfam is calling on governments around the world to adopt a seven point plan to tackle inequality:
- A clamp down on tax dodging by corporations and rich individuals
- Investment in universal, free public services such as health and education
- A fairer sharing of the tax burden fairly, shifting taxation from labour and consumption towards capital and wealth
- The introduction of minimum wages and a move towards a living wage for all workers
- The Introduction of equal pay legislation and promotion of economic policies to give women a fair deal
- Ensuring adequate safety-nets for the poorest, including a minimum income guarantee
- Agreeing to a global goal to tackle inequality.
The explosion in inequality is holding back the fight against global poverty at a time when 1 in 7 people do not have enough to eat.
Education has a crucial role to play
Poverty is not inevitable and can be overcome. We believe that young people’s learning, and actions are integral to a future that is secure, more just and sustainable. Young people’s desire to participate was evident in the Referendum and Education for Global Citizenship provides a stimulating context for learning across the curriculum. Teachers can support young people’s development as active global citizens through curriculum focused resources and CLPD offered through the IDEAS network. LINK to CLPL page and RESOURCES page
