NUS Scotland set to release new report

Next week NUS Scotland is set to publish a new report, Imagine A Better System: ideas beyond borders, which looks beyond Scotland to identify international best practice in higher and further education.

It is set to be launched at an online event on Monday, March 25 at 3 pm which will feature speakers from across the student movement and academia – including NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall and report author Catherine Reid.

The second in a series of reports, it follows on from Broke Students, Broken System which was released in February and found Scotland’s education system to be chronically underfunded, overly marketised, and focused on profit at the expense of students, who are in many cases struggling just to get by.

Imagine A Better System is set to be a comprehensive piece of research, presenting detailed alternatives to the problems identified in Broke Students, Broken System in five key areas: the funding model, student finance, housing, transport, and mental health.

Following on from this, in the coming months, NUS Scotland will release a third and final report in the series which will build on the lessons learned and outline a roadmap towards a new, better system – created by Scotland’s students from the ground up.

Commenting, NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall said:

“As our last report demonstrated, students in Scotland have long been struggling in an education system which is underfunded, undervalued and in desperate need of a different approach. Now Imagine A Better System, by looking beyond our borders, demonstrates that this is not inevitable.

It is not our goal at NUS simply to criticise but also to work constructively to help build an education system which works for students and for Scotland. We in the student movement know a better future is possible and will help lead the way, we are hopeful that those in power will join us on this journey.

A good education system, properly funded and supportive of students, is the single most effective tool for tackling poverty and reducing inequality – a key aim of the Scottish Government. We ask that they read this report and work with students so that we can make a better education system, and a fairer and more equal Scotland, a reality.”