Proposals for cadet units in Scottish schools

"TORY plans to create military cadet units in state schools in Scotland's most deprived areas have been attacked as an attempt to recruit vulnerable children as British Army 'cannon fodder'. "

"Leaked correspondence obtained by the Sunday Herald shows defence minister Julian Brazier urged the Scottish Government to embrace in-school cadet units. A senior SNP source branded the plan a "cannon fodder scheme" and said it would not go ahead. "

"With the army and reserve forces struggling for recruits, the Tory government has launched a £50m Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP) to establish 500 school cadet units across the UK by 2020, with schools in `less affluent` areas being prioritised. "

"Scotland’s largest teaching union, the EIS, said its members would also oppose anything that smacked of the armed forces trying to recruit within schools."

"With around 100 units recently established in England, and many more already in place in private schools, the UK government needs 145 more state cadet units to hit its target. "

"It has now turned its attention to Scotland’s 360 secondaries to help make up the numbers."

"Critics say such schemes amount to a backdoor recruitment drive by the armed forces, with young children drawn in by a sense of adventure, but with no understanding of the risks of combat."

"In 2008, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Children urged the UK to rethink its `active`recruitment of children and avoid specifically targeting children of low-income families."

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14210113.Tories_attacked_over_plan_to_recruit_Scotland_s_poorest_schoolchildren_as__cannon_fodder__for_British_Army/


Good for NEETs and a positive destination, perhaps, and a sure way to escape the Named Person at 16 ?

Perish the thought !