ID Cards Turn Scottish Schools Into Prisons

Kevin Schofield

A teaching union was last night accused of attempting to turn Scotland’s secondary schools into prisons after calling for pupils to be issued with photographic identity cards.

The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) said it would help to crack down on bullying by ending the problem of young people having their school-meal swipe cards stolen and used by other pupils.

The union also claims that the cards “will help prepare young people for the realities of identity management”, with photo ID cards common in higher education and the workplace.

But the proposals were criticised by civil liberties campaigners, who say the measures would “create environments which feel more like penal institutions than places of learning”.

David Eaglesham, the general secretary of the SSTA, said swipe cards had been used by pupils to pay for meals and access other facilities, such as libraries, for several years. He suggested introducing photo ID cards was a logical step.

He said:

“SSTA members report frequently that young people are bullied into handing over their cards to others …

if photo ID is introduced widely, then the problem will dramatically reduce.”

But Patrick Harvie, the Green MSP, last night described the SSTA proposals as “deeply troubling”. Mr Harvie, who has spoken out over the fingerprinting of primary pupils and the introduction of biometric palm scanners in school canteens, said:

“There’s a risk of creating environments which feel more like penal institutions than places of learning.”

Aamer Anwar, a leading human rights lawyer, said:

“I can understand the concerns the teachers may have in trying to increase security in schools, but it may be one step too far. It’s almost as if it’s a testing ground for the whole idea of ID cards.

“Next it could be primary school pupils and then everybody will have to do it. Where does it stop?”