SCOTLAND will re-enter international education league tables after withdrawing from them more than a decade ago.
The First Minister is expected to announce on Tuesday afternoon his plans for the country to re-join the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study as part of an effort to boost openness about the performance of Scottish schools.
The plans, first revealed in The Times, will see Scotland ranked among other countries, including England, the US and Ireland.
Former finance secretary Kate Forbes welcomed the move, tweeting: "This is excellent news from the First Minister because only with the data can you identify where to invest resources, improve outcomes and adapt policy."
Scotland left both in 2010, with opponents accusing the government of the time of seeking to save money and “not for any sound educational reason”, TES magazine reported in 2018.
Yousaf is expected to announce in his statement to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday that Scotland will re-enter the tables as part of his “fresh vision” for tackling the problems facing the country, The Times reported.
The paper said his speech will see the First Minister say: “These challenging times we live in call for us to share a fresh vision of how we face them.
This is excellent news from the First Minister because only with the data can you identify where to invest resources, improve outcomes and adapt policy. https://t.co/40K7PMMvIt
— Kate Forbes MSP (@_KateForbes) April 18, 2023
“My Cabinet has considered how we can build a better future for Scotland and the outcomes necessary to achieve that — through a determined focus on reducing poverty and strengthening public services, seizing the opportunity to build a growing and green wellbeing economy through the net-zero transition and supporting business, and reaffirming our commitment to equality, inclusion, and human rights in everything we do.
“We will do so using the powers of devolution to their maximum, whilst making the case that as an independent nation, we can do so much more to make Scotland a wealthier, fairer and greener country.”
The Times reported Yousaf will set out three “key missions” of equality, opportunity and community in his speech.
Scotland continues to participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment, another global education study.
