MILITARY personnel should face greater scrutiny when they visit schools, campaigners will tell MSPs.
Lobby group Forces Watch and Quakers in Scotland have submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament, which also calls for information about visits to be published and for parents to be consulted before their children participate in activities linked to the military.
Armed Forces representatives regularly enter schools, with critics claiming they paint a glamorous picture of military life in a bid to boost recruitment, something the Ministry of Defence denies. The petition calls for the Scottish Government to ensure information presented to children offers "a realistic representation of the role of the armed forces and what a career in the armed forces involves."
Forces Watch has said that the military makes a disproportionate number of visits to Scottish schools, compared to those in England, and has gathered more than 1,000 signatures. MSPs on the Parliament's public petitions committee will decide what action to take tomorrow after hearing evidence.
Forces Watch coordinator, Emma Sangster, said: "As things stand there is a lack of clarity regarding the nature of armed forces visits and who is responsible for overseeing them. There is no clear guidance and that is a real concern.
"Our fear is these visits are being used as a recruitment tool in schools, with the military promoted only in a positive light. Surely it is only right that young people encounter a balance of views and discussion about the risks and consequences of joining up.
"Schools, in our view, must ensure the unique risks, legal obligations and ethical questions faced in the armed forces are given due and proper consideration.
"We hope this petition will spark a wider public debate and see Scotland follow Wales in accepting recommendations to increase scrutiny of armed forces visits and broaden the range of employers going into schools."
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