스코틀랜드 독립, 청소년에게 묻다

http://newspeppermint.com/2014/09/17/scot-students-vote/

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/sep/09/scottish-independence-referendum-yes-no-politics-in-class

스코틀랜드 독립, 청소년에게 묻다

2014년 9월 18일  |  By: eyesopen1  |  세계  |  댓글이 없습니다

에딘버러의 버러뮈어고등학교에 재학중인 17세의 션 워링턴은 18일 치러지는 스코틀랜드 독립 주민투표에서 찬성표를 던질 계획입니다. 학교 수업을 통해 사안에 대해 배우고 토론한 끝에 내린 결정입니다. 그는 “부모님의 의견과는 다르지만, 찬성 쪽의 의견이 더 일리있다고 생각한다”고 말합니다. 반면 같은 학교에 재학중인 16세의 루시 월러스는 스코틀랜드 독립에 반대합니다. “엄마는 정치 이야기를 싫어하시기 때문에 집에서는 이 문제에 대해 이야기를 할 수 없어요. 하지만 학교에서 여러 사람의 이야기를 듣고 나서 반대 결정을 내렸죠. 물론 찬성 의견에도 일리가 있기 때문에, 찬성표를 던지기로 한 사람들도 이해할 수 있어요.” 루시의 말입니다. 친구와 함께 찬성과 중립 입장을 담은 영상을 제작해 유튜브에 올린 또 다른 이 학교 재학생은 가족들과 이야기해서는 한 쪽의 의견만 듣게 될 가능성이 크지만, 학교에서 공식적인 토론을 통해 다양한 의견을 접한 것이 큰 도움이 되었다고 말합니다.

이 학교에서는 지난 2년 간 수업을 통해 스코틀랜드 독립 문제를 다루어 왔습니다. 학생들은 모의 투표를 하기도 하고, 교외 토론회에 참석하기도 했죠. 의견에 따라 찬성, 반대 배지를 달고 다니기도 합니다. 물론 교사들은 표면상 철저한 중립을 지킵니다. 관련 수업을 이끄는 교사는 논란이 되는 사안에 대해 스스로 생각할 수 있는 능력을 기르도록 하는 것이 이 프로그램의 목적이라고 말합니다.

스코틀랜드가 중요한 투표를 앞두고 있기는 하지만, 모든 학교들이 이런 프로그램을 실시하는 것은 아닙니다. 투표 절차를 교육하고 참여를 독려하는 정도에 그치는 학교도 있고, 선거를 앞둔 시기에 공공 기관이 지켜야 할 규정을 엄격하게 해석해 스코틀랜드 독립이라는 사안을 전혀 다루지 않는 학교도 있습니다. 그러나 일부 교육학자들은 이처럼 학교가 정치적 사안에 대해 토론을 금지하는 것이 교육적으로 좋지 않다고 주장합니다. 학생들이 나서 토론 허용을 촉구하는 인터넷 캠페인을 시작하기도 했죠.

이번 투표에서 청소년 유권자들의 동향을 분석한 에딘버러대학의 연구원 잰 아이콘(Jan Eichhorn)은 교실에서의 토론이 학생들의 사회 참여와 투표에 긍정적인 효과를 미친다고 말합니다. 사안에 대한 지식이나 투표 절차에 대한 이해도도 높아지고, 실제로 투표에 참여할 가능성도 높아진다는 것이죠. 물론 민감한 사안은 교실에서 다루기가 까다로울 수도 있습니다. 특히 학부모들은 학교 수업이 학생들에게 편향된 시각을 심어줄까봐 우려하고, 때문에 수업에 개입하려 할 수도 있습니다. 하지만 덕분에 교사들은 중립성을 지키기 위해 더욱 조심하게 된다는 것이 그의 의견입니다. 아이콘은 또한 학생들이 지나치게 민족주의적인 시각을 갖게 될 것이라는 우려, 부모의 의견에 무조건적으로 동조, 또는 반대할 것이라는 우려, 학교가 학생들에게 일방적인 시각을 주입시킬 수도 있다는 우려는 모두 현실로 나타나지 않았다고 지적합니다. 스코틀랜드 독립에 대해 16-18세의 유권자들이 다른 나이대의 유권자들에 비해 오히려 다소 비관적인 시각을 갖고 있으며, 부모와 반대 의견을 갖고 있는 청소년은 조사 대상의 44% 정도로 나타났죠. 나이 든 유권자들에 비해 사안에 대한 이해도나 관심도가 떨어진다는 증거도 발견할 수 없었다고 합니다. 오히려 투표에 참여했던 청소년은 미래에도 투표에 참여할 가능성이 높아지는 등, 긍정적인 효과도 나타났다고 합니다.

오스트리아가 일찍이 청소년들에게 투표권을 주기 시작한 것은 인구 노령화로 인해 65세 이상 유권자가 25세 이하 유권자 수를 넘어서면서 세대간 균형을 맞추기 위해서였습니다. 그리고 이는 긍정적인 결과로 이어졌죠. 아이콘은 스코틀랜드에서도 그러한 효과가 나타날 것으로 기대한다고 밝혔습니다. 학창 시절에 몸에 배인 투표하는 습관은 평생 이어질 가능성이 높다는 것이죠. 오스트리아에서는 학생들이 정치적인 문제들을 더 많이 접할 수 있도록 교과 과정을 바꾸었는데, 이 역시 정치 신뢰도와 투표율을 높이는 결과로 이어졌다는 것이 아이콘의 설명입니다. 스코틀랜드에서 주민 투표의 선거 연령이 18세에서 16세로 낮아진 것은 이번이 처음입니다. 에딘버러대학에서 교육 정책을 연구하는 린지 패터슨(Lindsay Paterson) 교수는 노동당과 스코틀랜드민족당(SNP) 모두 찬성하는만큼 ‘투표 연령 16세’는 곧 스코틀랜드와 영국 전역의 대세가 될 것이라고 말했습니다. (Guardian)

Scottish referendum: is it yes or no to politics in class?

Some Scottish schools have not debated the issues over independence. Have pupils who will be voting missed out?

Sean Warrington, 17, will be putting his cross in the yes box when he casts his vote in Scotland's referendum on 18 September, a different choice from his parents. But Sean feels he has been able to reach his own decision through studying the options at Boroughmuir high school in Edinburgh's Morningside. "The stuff we have done in class has presented both sides of the argument. I just thought that yes had a better case. My parents are no voters and it's difficult for them to talk about both sides of it."

Lucy Wallace, 16, will be voting no. "It's gut feeling, I feel British as well as Scottish. I haven't really discussed it at home because my mum doesn't want to talk about politics. But we've had a lot of debates in school, we've gone to meetings and heard speakers. I feel I understand now why people are voting yes. I think they have some good points."

Joe Higgins, 18 and sporting a yes badge, has made a YouTube video at school with two classmates – one backing the no campaign and one undecided – to explore the issues.

"The debates we have had have been very civil, they've been good fun. This school has been pretty good about giving people the information and the space to talk about it. I think it can be a problem if you can only talk about it with family and friends … in a family situation you may only hear one side. We have been encouraged to express our own opinions."

 

These young voters have participated in a two-year programme at the school, led by head of modern studies Eva Georgeson. They have had a mock referendum, meetings outside school, and the older pupils looked at the arguments around key issues such as currency and Scotland's membership of international organisations. Pupils have been allowed to wear yes and no badges, while Georgeson and colleagues have remained carefully neutral. "It is a question of the students learning how to think about something that is controversial," she says. "I have not influenced them in any way, I have helped them to explore the issues. This is a big decision for their first vote but I would say they are up for it. They are keen to vote, they see it as an important decision that will affect them."

Meanwhile, at Springburn academy in north-east Glasgow the focus has been on getting young people registered and encouraging them to vote rather than directly discussing the key issues. Jayne Ashley, head of modern studies, says: "We found that about 40% of our young people thought they might not be registered to vote. We have made them aware of the process and helped them.

"I feel very passionately about political literacy and political education. I talk to them about why they should vote. We have not taught directly about the referendum because it's politically very sensitive."

Springburn is barred from holding debates on the referendum as Glasgow, like many of Scotland's 32 councils, is applying a strict interpretation of the "purdah" rules that govern what public bodies can do or say in the runup to an election.

This stance has caused concern among some educationalists. Susan Quinn – a teacher, union activist and yes campaigner – said the debating bans were disappointing. "This is an educational opportunity that could be missed. The young people want to engage in this important decision for their future."

Some young people in Fife have started an online petition calling for free discussion of the referendum in schools.

Jan Eichhorn, fellow in social policy at Edinburgh University, who has been studying the voting intentions of under-18s and carried out two surveys of teenage voting intentions, says some schools and councils may have taken an over-cautious approach. His work shows that class discussion has a positive effect on engagement and voting confidence.

"Young people who have discussed the referendum in class are more likely to say they feel knowledgeable about the referendum, more likely to say they have confidence in their understanding of the process and say they are more likely to vote."

He found 37% of those who had discussed the referendum in class felt knowledgeable enough to make a decision against 28% of those who had not. There was no increase in feeling well-informed among teenagers who discussed it with family or friends. "There is a real demand from young people for this. I have not met a single young person who said, 'I wish we had not discussed this in school'. They want to talk through the issues in an educational setting because they trust that as a space."

Delivering balanced information was something teachers take seriously. "Every teacher I have met is aware of their responsibility in dealing with this. That caution and carefulness is good but it's shame where that makes it more difficult for them to engage."

There are sometimes difficulties, though, about raising sensitive issues, he says. "Occasionally when a school brings it up, parents intervene. The parents really want to know that the teachers are not biasing the children. Most parents trust teachers on this, but these challenges can make teachers feel even more cautious."

Eichhorn said fears that teenage voters would be easily swayed by nationalist sentiment; that they would not vote or vote the same way as their parents; or that schools could "become politicised in a biased way with political discussion disturbing the neutral learning space" have not been realised.

In fact, he found that 16- to 18-year-olds were slightly more sceptical of independence than other groups. His most recent survey, taken before the summer, showed that just 30% of them planned to vote yes, lower than any other age group except over-65s. Those who have discussed it in class also appear slightly more likely to vote no, though he says this is a weak effect.

The turnout for 16- to 18-year-olds is predicted to roughly mirror the average and may even be higher than that for 18- to 24-year-olds. The survey also interviewed one parent of each student, and the research found that in 44% of cases the young person had different voting intentions from the parent.

"We don't see any evidence that young people are less capable of voting or less interested in taking part. We don't see any negative effects." In fact, Eichhorn felt that taking part in the referendum would make it more likely that they would vote again in future.

Teenage voting – which was introduced in Austria mainly in an effort to rebalance the generations with over-65s starting to outnumber under-25 voters – has had a positive effect, he said, and there was every reason to hope for the same in Scotland.

"If their first voting experience happens while they are at school … if they are more confident and more familiar with the process, that can lead to greater levels of engagement in the future."

Austria has adjusted the curriculum to deal more with political issues in school. "There have been increases in political confidence and voter turnout and the effect was not a one-off."

Like many commentators, Lindsay Paterson, professor of education policy at Edinburgh University, believes that votes for 16- and 17-year-olds will become the norm in Scotland and perhaps across the UK. "I don't see how it can be resisted now. Labour and the SNP both support it."