Education and Skills Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Official Report 472KB pdf

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

Item 2 is consideration of the responses that the committee has received in respect of its report on science, technology, engineering and mathematics in early years education.

The responses from the Scottish Government and Education Scotland to the recommendations that arose from the committee’s inquiry are in the committee papers. As the committee has previously agreed, our intention is to hold a committee debate in the chamber on the committee’s report. That has been provisionally scheduled for Wednesday 4 March.

In advance of the debate, I have asked the clerks to inform all those who contributed to the inquiry that the debate is taking place and to invite them to send in their perspectives on the report’s recommendations and the responses. Any submissions that are received will be circulated to members to inform the debate.

I understand that the Scottish Government’s next annual progress report on the delivery of the STEM strategy will not have been published by the time the debate takes place. However, the clerks have asked Government officials to provide the committee with the latest publications of data sets that inform the progress report. Those will also be circulated to the committee in advance of the debate.

Do members have any comments on the responses at this stage? If not, are members content to contribute to the chamber debate instead of discussing the responses now?

Members indicated agreement.