Educational Institute of Scotland

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) (Institiud Foghlam na h-Alba) is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional status. The EIS is the largest teaching union in Scotland, representing 80% of the country's teachers and lecturers. it has 56,342 members.

General Secretaries

 * 1910-1915: Samual Murray
 * 1915-1922: Hugh Cameron
 * 1922-1926: George Crossar Pringle
 * 1926-1941: Tom Henderson
 * 1941-1945: John Wishart
 * 1945-1952: Alexander J. Belford
 * 1952-1960: William Campbell
 * 1960-1974: Gilbert Stewart Bryden
 * 1974-1988: John D. Pollock
 * 1988-1995: Jim Martin
 * 1995-2012: Ronnie Smith
 * 2012-2022: Larry Flanagan
 * 2022-present: Andrea Bradley



Scottish Educational Journal
The Scottish Educational Journal (SEJ) is the magazine of the EIS, which has been appearing, formerly in tabloid format, since ca. 1917.

Fellowships
Since being granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria, it is the only union able to award degrees. A recipient of the EIS degree is a Fellow of the Educational Institute of Scotland, denoted by the post-nominal FEIS.

An early example of such a degree (awarded in December 1847) was worded as follows: "'''The Educational Institute of Scotland DIPLOMA OF FELLOW.

We, the Committee of Fellows of the Educational Institute of Scotland, appointed by the General Meeting which was held in the High School of Edinburgh on Saturday the 18th September 1847 to grant Diplomas to those Members admitted within the year 1847 who might be desirous of obtaining the Grade of Junior Licentiate, Senior Licentiate or Fellow, having examined the evidence produced by Mr John Gibson Smith, Schoolmaster of Ednam, in attestation of his professional attainments, experience and skill – and having found that his testimonials certify -

1st That he is qualified to teach English, Grammar, Composition, History, Geography, Writing, Arithmetic, Algebra, Natural Science, Agricultural Chemistry, Latin, Greek and French.

2nd That he has taught with acceptance and success during a period of Twenty years all the above named branches -

Do hereby, on the 11th day of December 1847, grant to the said Mr John Gibson Smith this Diploma conferring on him the Grade of Fellow of the Educational Institute of Scotland, with all the honours rights and privileges thereto belonging.

(Signed) L. Schmits, George S. Davidson, F.R. Low L.L.D., James Fulton, John White, Alex Reid L.L.D., Walter Nichol L.L.D., Wm. Knox.' ''"

Industrial action
Threats of industrial action by the EIS evoke memories for many of the long-running teacher strikes of the 1980s  During the 1984-86 industrial action almost 15 million pupil days were lost across Scotland. It was a sustained campaign of industrial action in Scottish education in opposition to the  Conservative Government. Larry Flanagan has described it as “the first time that any group of workers, anywhere in the UK, successfully stood firm in defiance of a concerted, ideologically driven attack by the Tory government.”