Chamber and committees

I will move on to the international situation, which I am curious about. You just reminded us about the right to free primary education. We know that there are countries that do not provide that. The other word that I picked out was “retrogressive”. I would like to hear a little more about that and measures such as limiting the education of women and girls. What role can the commission, other Governments and any of us play? What can we do about that? That is happening now: rights that are already there are being taken away. It is highly concerning.

You have used flooding as an example of circumstances in which the right of women and girls to education could be withdrawn. I do not see that as a suitable measure in response to an emergency such as the building collapsing. It would be a matter of ideology, and that is not covered, is it?

In 2018, during a workshop on gender equality at the European Organization for Nuclear Research—known as the CERN research institute—in Geneva, Switzerland, theoretical physicist Alessandro Strumia began his presentation. On one of his slides was a very short, but very powerful, quote, which read:

“physics was invented and built by men, it’s not by invitation”.

According to reports, Professor Strumia went on to present evidence in the form of graphs and tables, and he concluded that, as the most-cited academic papers were disproportionately written by men, men were simply better at physics. I imagine that, for a predominantly female audience that was full of young prospective scientists, it was not quite the motivational speech that they were anticipating, and, for women already working in the field, it would likely have felt sadly familiar.

The professor’s claims were quickly dismantled and denounced as “unacceptable”, and he was suspended by CERN. The following day, Donna Strickland was awarded the Nobel prize for physics for her pioneering work with high-intensity lasers. Astrophysicist Andrea Ghez would receive the same honour just two years later for providing the first conclusive experimental evidence that a supermassive black hole with the mass of 4 million suns sits at the centre of our galaxy.

Incredibly, those are two of only four women who have ever won that prize in its 121-year history, so, clearly, the question is not one of ability. Rather, that statistic is emblematic of a centuries-long struggle for recognition and the obstacles that women and girls face at every point in their careers, which contribute to their underrepresentation across the scientific disciplines.

In acknowledgment of that uneven landscape, the United Nations international day of women and girls in science, on 11 February, provides a welcome opportunity to celebrate the essential contributions that they have made and will continue to make, enabling us to better understand the world we live in.

I am incredibly fortunate to have internationally renowned higher and further education institutions in my constituency, and I am grateful to colleagues across the chamber who have mentioned the University of Glasgow, for instance. I recognise the commitment that those institutions have demonstrated to promoting gender equality in science, as supported by the Scottish Funding Council, and the development of tailored gender action plans.

I absolutely accept that from Stephen Kerr. To have that very powerful visual image in our schools up and down the country reminds our children of what they are aiming for and of the fact that we need them. I thank Stephen Kerr for highlighting that.

City of Glasgow College’s pioneering “Women into Engineering” courses have resulted in an almost 100 per cent increase in female participation in engineering programmes, and the college’s STEM girls society creates an encouraging space for female students to meet in and share ideas.

At the University of Glasgow, Dr Sofiat Olaosebikan, a former student turned lecturer in computing science, was selected as one of the university’s future world changers for founding the Computer Science Academy Africa. That initiative delivered successful computer programming workshops in Nigeria and Rwanda, providing young Africans in STEM with access to quality computer science education. Women are strongly encouraged to apply and they are offered the possibility of childcare support. As a result, in 2022, 45 per cent of CSA Africa participants were women.

Perhaps what is most challenging for us all is that we must work to recognise our own unconscious biases and create an inclusive environment for the next generation of female scientists.

For absolute transparency, I should say that I am a member of the NASUWT. Mike Corbett is probably expecting more difficult questions, and I will try to be as non-biased as possible.

I will move on to whom the bill should cover. The bill defines a child as someone under the age of 18, but the age range goes up to 26, so that huge band covers school-age children and those older than that. We all know that, daily, teachers in schools face a wide variety of pupils and needs. Do teachers in mainstream schools routinely consider whether a pupil has a disability, as opposed to additional support needs, and how to meet those needs? There is a difference, as we know. I ask Mike Corbett to answer first.

That is a good example of the transition issue.

Do the witnesses agree that everyone who meets the Equality Act 2010 definition of a disability should automatically have a transition plan, or should there be an element of self-identification and an opt-out process? In previous answers, it was said that young people, for whatever reason, might not want to declare that they are disabled. The equality guidance states that,

“In the vast majority of cases”,

it will be evident that there is a disability. That will not always be the case, however, so there is a bit of wiggle room, is there not? It would be good to hear your opinions on that.

Okay. Will the bill make that a bit clearer, or will it not alter the process at all?

It might be helpful to tell us about that, because that multi-agency work is complex and requires time. The teacher is at the heart of that, because they see the pupil regularly, whether that be for a single subject or for the whole day. How effective is that process at the moment? Is there scope to improve it through the bill? Other witnesses will definitely want to come in on that point.

You have highlighted that every young person has an individual journey. The reason why I asked about and explored the bill’s scope is that the number of young people who come under the definition will have a direct impact on resourcing, and that will have financial implications.

Thank you.