Scottish Government funds Development Education Centres

The Scottish Government has today announced £300,000 of funding for Scotland's six Development Education Centres to continue for another year, to March 2017.

These six centres do a power of good supporting Scottish schools to teach topics around international development and good global citizenship.

Many of the SMP's 180+ school members directly benefit from the work of the DECs so the SMP has been active in lobbying the Scottish Government to continue its funding of the Centres. We are delighted with today's announcement and applaud the Scottish Government for its continued support and leadership in this important area.

Scotland has a proud history as a good global citizen and we see the DECs as an essential tool in ensuring each new generation of young Scots understands why this sense of progressive internationalism is so important. With the new Sustainable Development Goals bringing together poverty alleviation efforts both internationally and domestically, the DECs are more relevant today than perhaps ever before.

We strongly welcome today’s funding announcement and look forward to working closely with the Scottish Government and the DECs over the next 12-months to promote global citizenship.

The funding for 2016-17 will support teacher training through the DECs, focusing on global citizenship including human rights, sustainable development, debt, water and food. It will allow them to provide training workshops for teachers, as well as providing resources to schools across Scotland.

On announcing the funding, Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages, said:

“Scotland has a strong track record of global citizenship education, embedded in and at the heart of our approach to teaching and learning in Scotland – through Curriculum for Excellence. This funding ensures teachers are best equipped to bring issues around global citizenship into the classroom.

“Thanks to technology, our young people are engaging with the world far beyond these islands, giving them a global perspective on issues, watching international events on television or through their mobile phones. This fund demonstrates our commitment to helping them see the impact of these events on a local, national and international level, and to gain the skills they need in order to evaluate and make sense of a complex and ever-changing world.”

Minister for International Development, Mr Humza Yousaf, added:

“This Government is working hard to ensure our future generations build on Scotland’s existing reputation on global citizenship, and I am delighted we are continuing to support the excellent work of our Development Education Centres.

“We are supporting global learning for Scottish pupils as well as supporting access to education for some of the world’s poorest children. For example, since 2005, we’ve helped to keep more than 73,000 Malawian children in school by supporting a feeding programme.

“In addition, the Pakistan Scholarship Scheme has also helped to support more than 400 women and more than 1,400 schoolchildren to continue their education. I’m confident pupils in Scottish schools will embrace the opportunity to learn more about our international responsibilities.”

For more details about the six DECs, visit: www.ideas-forum.org.uk/about-us/decs