THE Scottish Office has been stung by criticism into putting the case
for Scotland's separate education system in the European Community, it
was said yesterday.
Announcing his attendance at the next meeting of the EC Council of
Education Ministers in Brussels on Friday, Lord James Douglas-Hamilton,
the Scottish Office Education Minister, said he and his colleagues
''lose no opportunity to make clear to our colleagues in Europe
Scotland's separate educational system and identity''.
He added: ''My attendance at the EC Council of Ministers this week
will ensure that Scotland's interests can be directly represented.''
However, the general secretary of the Educational Institute of
Scotland, Mr Jim Martin, said the Scottish Office was responding to
criticism from the union about not being involved in Europe.
In September, Mr Martin criticised Education Secretary John Patten for
allowing his department to dominate discussion about European education
issues during Britain's presidency of the EC.
With Mr Patten making the running and no Scottish Minister in sight,
the EIS chief said Scotland could lose out.
Mr Martin said yesterday he had been concerned about European
colleagues inferring that Britain had a unitary education system, based
on the impression given by Mr Patten in several meetings organised under
Britain's presidency.
A meeting involving the European trade union committee was postponed
last week because Mr Patten and the Minister of State, Baroness Blatch,
could not attend.
Mr Martin said he was extremely disappointed about there being no
Scottish Office representation scheduled for the meeting, but he offered
Lord James his assistance.
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