Members of Scotland’s largest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), gather at Perth Concert Hall this week for an annual general meeting that will be dominated by serious concerns over excessive teacher workload and questions over the level of support that has been provided to implement the curriculum for excellence and introduce new qualifications and methods of assessment. 

In particular the role of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in supporting the introduction of the new qualifications will come under very close scrutiny.

A recent major health and well-being survey — commissioned by the EIS and published two weeks ago — has indicated that severe workload pressures are placing strain on teachers leading to increased stress and health problems. 

Of the teachers and lecturers surveyed 72 per cent cited excessive workload as the key factor in an overall negative well-being return. 

While workload concerns are to a certain degree an ever present for teachers and lecturers, there can be little doubt that this past session has witnessed perhaps the worst year ever as a workload tsunami had simply engulfed members in all sectors.

It is clear that teachers are becoming increasingly worn out and frustrated by the excessive workload pressures that they continually face, and the message that they are sending out is that enough is enough. 

Action is needed now to reduce the load as teachers are fast approaching breaking point driven there by a combination of factors beyond their control. 

Over the course of the last year the EIS has been campaigning on this issue and some progress has been made in having the problem recognised by government at local as well as national level. 

The key challenge remains, however, in getting paper policies turned into practice. 

The budget-cutting austerity agenda has reduced both staffing and resource levels in schools, placing increasing pressure on teachers to achieve more with less. 

As well as the debates relating to workload and support for changes related to Curriculum for Excellence, with several motions calling for industrial action, the AGM will discuss a wide variety of key issues such as child poverty, funding for education, combating discrimination, teachers’ pay and conditions and pension changes. 

There is a call also for a co-ordinated public-sector union campaign to challenge pay restraint policy. 

A significant number of motions proposing potential industrial action reflect the mood of teachers in an environment where cuts to education funding and attacks on pay and pensions continue. Delegates are certain to express their dissatisfaction during the course of AGM debates.

A significant fringe event will centre on the referendum debate with both sides being asked to address the issue of child poverty through the prisms of their respective campaigns. 

Speakers at the Poverty, Social Justice and Education event include Hannah McCulloch (Child Poverty Action Group), Murdo Fraser MSP (Better Together) and Dennis Canavan (Yes Scotland). 

On Saturday, Dave Moxham, deputy general secretary of the STUC, will address the AGM on issues relating to the STUC’s A Just Scotland report.

While the EIS has decided to remain neutral on Scotland’s future constitutional settlement, it is not neutral in a broader political sense and has made clear through its own referendum manifesto that this opportunity to define the type of Scotland we wish to live in must not be squandered by narrow party political interests.  

A strong consensus exists in Scotland around education as a societal good, a common weal and the EIS believes that this should be built upon by all concerned irrespective of the referendum result. 

In particular tackling the impact of poverty on educational opportunity and attainment must be a priority for all of us. 

As ever, the EIS annual general meeting is set to generate significant debate on a wide range of issues relating to education, equality and social justice. 

We look forward to a busy and productive AGM and EIS members and other interested parties can follow the course of the debates via the EIS website at www.eis.org.uk

Larry Flanagan is general secretary of EIS.