In addition to the motion itself, the substance of the discussion that unfolded during the debate must also be considered. The proposers of the motion were clear that a vote in favour of the resolution was a vote to begin exploratory work and the beginning of a discussion about the future of NUS Scotland and the future relationship within NUS UK.
Policy agreed by NUS Scotland Conference
What is the issue facing students?
50 years ago, our predecessors within the Scottish student movement made the decision to give up our autonomous Scottish Union of Students in favour of joining the UK wide National Union of Students. This decision was made in the context of a centralised unitary UK state where power was entirely in the hands of the UK Government, as the central decision maker over all areas of policy and control over the Scotland Office.
In 1999 following the devolution process Scotland’s Parliament reconvened, altering the structure of power in the UK and over the last two decades increasingly more decisions, including all decisions relating to education, are made by the Scottish Government.
Scottish Further and Higher Education follows a fundamentally different model from the rest of the UK and the surrounding political context is increasingly divergent from that present at Westminster.
Our predecessors made the right decision for the time in which they led the movement and we have achieved a lot of wins to be proud of as part of NUS UK over the last 50 years, this is a vital part of our history that should continue to be valued.
Devolution has radically altered the UK for the better, allowing different parts of the UK to follow their own path as determined by those who live there, and this has largely protected us from the more problematic decisions made by the UK Government.
Just as Scotland has changed so has our movement, with NUS UK now primarily focussed on issues affecting students studying in England - with the UK President role and VP’s focussed on this - opposed to the devolved nations with ‘National’ Presidents.
Significant reform to NUS UK in 2019, among other things, reduced NUS Scotland to one full-time officer (NUS Scotland President), a smaller staffing cohort, and abolished the Scottish Executive Committee.
Why is this important to us as a movement?
Students in Scotland need an empowered, democratic and fully resourced National Union which can be adapted and shaped to fit their needs directly, as opposed to fitting into a wider organisational structure that is not designed to properly represent their interests.
What would the world looked like if we solved it?
As NUS Scotland Conference, we believe the time is right to develop a new, independent, National Union of Students for Scotland with the full autonomy required to properly address the needs of all students studying in Scotland regardless of their background.
A newly independent NUS Scotland should not be independent, purely for the sake of being independent, but should instead use its newfound autonomy to develop a new structure and organising model that connects better with students, building our movement from the grassroots up.
A newly independent NUS Scotland should continue to engage productively with NUS UK as our sibling union on matters concerning the whole of the UK, as well as the wider European and global student movements to achieve our common goals.
Ideas for Implementation
1. To establish a committee with representation from all corners of our movement to negotiate the independence of NUS Scotland from NUS UK and subsequent creation of a new National Union of Students for Scotland with a structure fit for the 21st Century, that energises and engages students across Scotland.
2. To continue to engage with our affiliated unions and associations throughout this process, as well as the wider student movement, in order to develop a new organising model to serve as the foundation of the new National Union of Students for Scotland.
Result of the vote that took place on 6th April 2022 in Dundee
