Important battles for teachers in Scotland

Members of the Scottish EIS teachers union are voting to elect their vice president. In recent years no-one has challenged the leadership candidate.

But this year Andrew Fullwood is standing on a platform of fighting for pensions, jobs, conditions and against centralised control of education.

Andrew is a teacher in South Lanarkshire and was nominated by Fife EIS. He has a background of supporting rank and file action. His election would strengthen all those in EIS calling for a fightback against cuts and austerity.

Glasgow EIS Local Association has passed a motion from three large Glasgow secondary schools calling on the union to boycott all further development on Scotland’s new “Curriculum for Excellence” (CfE) last week.

EIS had been central to the introduction of CfE in an attempt to make education more comprehensive, broad based and inclusive.

But centralised control and a lack of proper funding has seriously undermined its implementation.

EIS is now calling for a delay.

Bob Fotheringham, Glasgow EIS (pc)