Imagine being punished for who you love. Stripped of dignity and freedom of expression. Unfortunately, that is the reality in Ghana. The Ghanaian parliament has recently approved a new bill criminalising homosexuality and the promotion of LGBTQ+ activities. In honour of pride month, we thought it would be prudent to look upon this ‘modern atrocity’.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 2 states that “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind”, So why is it that people are being stripped of these rights simply because of who they love? This blatant violation of human rights clearly shows that in such a modern age we still have a lot of progress to make, which is truly frightening. The bill criminalises LGBTQ+ individuals by introducing a prison sentence of up to 3 years strips them of their innate need for trust and compassion and inevitably leaves them to live in fear as Ghana justifies the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation as a means to “protect” traditional cultural norms and reflect the strong religious and conservative ideology among its citizens.  This legislation may contribute to the loss of jobs, homes and access to healthcare with some already reviewing and deleting their online activity in panic of their identity being revealed. Leila Larba said on BBC: “No matter how safe you are, you do not know who is ready to talk” 

Now, my question is: could the UK be following suit? In the past few years, far-right ideologies have become increasingly mainstream in the UK following the rise of “red pill” content on social media and The Reform UK party seems to be a dilution of these beliefs. Many figures who are openly Anti-LGBTQ such as Elon musk and Andrew Tate endorse the party and their policies. A read into their manifesto shows that Reform UK proposes to ban “‘woke’ ideology” in schools and to cut out “transgender ‘indoctrination’”. The way that their aims are written out makes it seem as if the basic human right, that is freedom of expression, is somehow a plague to society rather than the hate speech and discrimination that LGBTQ+ people face on a daily basis. Furthermore, Reform UK also promises to replace the 2010 Equality Act, stating that it would scrap it on day one. To their supporters, this seems as a step towards a more equitable society, whereas it is much the opposite. Scrapping it entirely would mean that anyone being targeted, discriminated against, or victimised on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender, race, belief etc in a workplace would not be able to take action. How would you feel being threatened, laughed at and ultimately dismissed when you raise your concerns of hate speech? In spite of their overt displays of bigotry, recent England council polls show that Reform UK backing has sky-rocketed to a whopping 1,450 council seats in England and they claimed 17 seats in the Scottish Parliamentary Election. On the other hand, The Green party openly supports the LGBTQ+ community in numerous ways, for example, heavily backing the idea of making it easier for transgender people to make legal sex changes based on the individual's decision. They also promise to maintain a sex education curriculum that includes the discussion of transgender and LGBTQ people.

In conclusion, the threat of imprisonment and persecution still faces many purely because of something out of their control. If we as a society are ever to eradicate this monumental injustice, we must first let go of archaic traditions that strip innocent people of their right to freedom and instead look towards more progressive means of law-making.

• Ugne Vicyte

As we all know, a few months ago all of Knox Academy’s pupils were lucky enough to be handed their own Chromebooks which they can use during class for learning and are allowed to take home to use for this purpose. Many teachers and pupils are using these devices to support learning, teaching and research. However, students are also using their devices for entertainment purposes, which is negatively affecting their learning time. Behind the initial excitement of their introduction, there are a number of consequences when it comes to giving pupils chromebooks.

With exams coming up, seniors are overwhelmed with the workload of studying. Endless hours of writing flashcards, mindmaps and notes can become exhausting and sometimes even ineffective. Not anymore. With the introduction of the new Chromebooks, seniors now have access to a wide range of digital learning resources designed to make their studying more efficient and engaging. These learning resources include applications such as Achieve and NotebookLM. Achieve is a learning platform specifically designed for Scottish students providing a vast selection of digital courses allowing for pupils to learn and revise efficiently helping them feel more confident ahead of their exams. Another great application the seniors were lucky enough to get on their Chromebooks was NotebookLM, a personalised AI study assistant. Upload a source and within a click, flashcards, mindmaps, reports and even podcasts are generated tailored to your learning needs. This not only saves time but also reduces the need for repetitive and time consuming writing, allowing pupils to focus on understanding the material rather than just rewriting it. As a National 5 student who is currently about to sit exams, I cannot be grateful enough for these learning resources which have made an incredible impact on the effectiveness of my revision in the past few months, which is a widely shared opinion.

What makes these Chromebooks even more beneficial is their accessibility. Not only are students encouraged to use these learning applications in school, but they are completely free to use at home providing effective, high-quality study support available 24/7, giving pupils the flexibility to revise whatever time suits them best.

The East Lothian council obviously thought it worth it enough to introduce chromebooks to Knox Academy for learning purposes, but being pupils ourselves, we have seen much the opposite. A step into any classroom will give you a sense as to how much of a distraction Chromebooks can be. If I were to record the number of pupils that were sitting there, playing polytrack in one of my classes, I would bet a hefty amount of money that it’d be 50%. This means that pupils are losing time to ask questions to the teachers and really sit back and learn topics. Now I can make an educated guess that most teachers do not see it as as much of a drawback as I do, but a swift switch of a tab would tell you why. Now just, to be clear, I don't suggest that the council should take the Chromebooks away, but rather give greater incentives not to waste valuable classroom time.

Chromebooks don't just improve learning, they make it fair and inclusive for everyone. Not every pupil learns in the same way, yet traditional classrooms often expect everyone to keep up using the same methods which is far from reality. Luckily, Chromebooks have challenged that idea by giving pupils the tools to learn in ways that actually suit them. Features like voice typing, screen readers and adjustable text sizes aren’t just helpful “extras”, they are essential for many students. For someone who struggles with writing, the voice typing feature allows them to speak into the Chromebook, removing a huge barrier and putting the focus on their ideas instead of the difficulty of trying to write words onto a page. Furthermore, screen reading and adjustable text enable students with visual impairments or reading difficulties to become more independent and confident in their work. What’s even more important is that these tools can reduce stigma. Instead of students being singled out or given different materials, everyone has access to the same devices with the same features creating an equal environment in the classroom. In my opinion, this is one of the strongest arguments for Chromebooks in schools. It’s not just about convenience or modernisation, it’s about giving every single pupil an opportunity to succeed. When schools invest in tools that adapt to students rather than forcing students to adapt to the system, they create a more supportive and effective learning environment for everyone. 

A personal laptop is certainly a valuable asset to an exam-sitting student, but the value begins to fade as you move lower in the year groups. Yes, useful resources such as Achieve and the all essential Google Classroom requires internet access, however the school has been providing non-personal laptops to pupils for years now and there have been no major issues. Yes, the laptops weren’t always available, but all that needed was a few organisational workarounds. Plus, classrooms in the Business and Computing department already provided desktop computers for all. For the junior years, I see that the Chromebooks are mere tools of entertainment, not having the responsibilities of the senior pupil. When walking past the social area, a sea of children - mostly juniors - locked on to their screens, engaging in little to no conversation is what you will see. Spontaneous discussion decreases day by day. What inevitably comes to mind is that these chromebooks are giving juniors a direct pathway to a quick shot of dopamine, less than what you would get from a conversation. This could lead to the deterioration of social skills among this generation. Furthermore, attention span is also negatively affected by the rampant increase of screen usage, worsening the ability of children to focus during class, making their periods increasingly stressful for the teacher and boring for the student. So, I must ask the council, why does it have to be this way?

The introduction of the new Chromebooks is transforming the way pupils approach their studies. By reducing the amount of workload and instead offering smarter revision methods. Chromebooks are helping pupils decrease the risk of burnout, help them stay motivated and ultimately perform at their best during exam season. One could also argue that they can kill the motivation of pupils due to a lack of focus and distract pupils’ away from what's really important and instead towards drug-like games. In conclusion, the Chromebooks amplify both ends of the spectrum: entertainment and education. And so forth the decision to grow or to be amused rests upon the agency of the pupil. So ask yourself this. What do you really want?

• Co-written by Ugne Victye and Isaac Swan-Ashe

For several years now, Knox has been defined by its school uniform. The infamous combination of shirt and tie has been a highly debated and contentious issue for as long as many can remember. However, as of recently, the idea of updating the dress code has been raised. Like anything regarding the school, this has in itself been controversial. Yet, what are the changes? And would they improve the experience of students if they were to pass?

The current school uniform has multiple reasons behind it, which can all be found on the school website. According to the ’Uniform’ page on the website, the uniform is maintained as it “helps promote the sense of community within the school and wider community and a feeling of ‘belonging’.” Additionally, the website claims that a consistent uniform would improve student equity, increase safety and allow students to get to school faster. Despite this, the current uniform has been widely criticised and regularly disregarded amongst students. 

Many students have critiqued certain elements of the uniform. A common complaint is that the clothing required can cause sensory issues, particularly regarding the tight collars, ‘strangling’ sensation of the tie and fabric used in the shirts. Additionally, many students may not feel comfortable in such formal attire, they may feel it is easier to learn when not sweating in a collared shirt. Therefore, due to these and many other reasons, students frequently disregard the uniform entirely. Which in turn may discredit some of the reasons for the uniform existing in the first place, as the apparent safety purposes for the uniform may be lessened as if a sizable number of students fail to wear the uniform, seeing someone not wearing it would not raise the alarms it probably should. 

What do the new uniform changes actually include? According to a recent survey sent out, the alterations made to the uniform include the junior years (S1-S3) surprisingly now being allowed to wear a black school hoodie among their usual uniform, despite the supposed safety concerns of hiding your face. While seniors (S4-S6) are now permitted to wear a black, high-necked, zip-up jumper, with their school shirts and ties still underneath. 

Even these changes could result in a potential negative environmental impact, while branded clothes may improve student equity, it may also result in an increase in fast fashion. As adolescents, we are experiencing periods of rapid growth. Therefore, we may soon grow out of a single piece of clothing, especially after leaving school, with many seniors simply throwing away their no longer needed uniform, or if it gets damaged. Although, this could be improved with alumni donating their discarded uniform to our in-school uniform hub, so they can be used by future students. Classes could also be introduced to teach pupils how to repair certain damages, therefore improving the schools environmental impact and reducing the cost of having to buy completely new items. Furthermore, the new jumpers could be made out of an eco-friendly material or even recycled fabric. Overall, the environmental impact of these changes will need to be considered if these updates are implemented.

Looking outside of Knox specifically, many schools are relaxing or entirely scrapping their uniform policies post-pandemic. While 96% of publicly funded Scottish secondary schools still require their students to wear uniforms, many are now compromising on certain parts of their dress code. For example, several secondary schools in Aberdeen have relaxed their uniform policy, shifting from mandatory ties and blazers to polo shirts, hoodies or sweatshirts. Additionally, some schools have started only enforcing pupils to wear school ties during formal events. These changes are reported to have increased uniform compliance, as more students found the dress code comfortable and has seemed to reduce stigma between students from different socio-economic backgrounds. Additionally, the local authority of Edinburgh has recently enforced restrictions on forcing students to wear blazers and branded items will no longer be promoted or required by Edinburgh schools. This was done in an effort to reduce the cost burden of the school uniform on local parents and carers within the area. Therefore, it is clear that these uniform considerations are probably indicative of a wider societal change to lessen the influence of uniforms amongst Scottish secondary schools.

However, these considerations will only be effective if they are implemented in a practical manner. The idea of still having to wear the aforementioned shirt and tie combination under a thick hoodie, may only be comfortable visually. This proposal fails to understand one of the main criticisms of the uniform, being allowed to wear a hoodie over a shirt would be arguably more awkward than the current setup. Additionally, many senior students have raised concerns around the changes being unfair. It seems unreasonable as to why juniors would be allowed to wear the more comfortable hoodie while seniors are still required to wear a semi-formal high-necked jumper. 

In conclusion, these changes highlight the debate on what is the true purpose of a school uniform in the modern day. While they are said to maintain and honour tradition, especially in a historical school. Critics claim that the primary purpose of a school is to allow students to learn in a comfortable and supportive environment, and that uniforms are a relic of a bygone age that should be either updated or scrapped entirely. Regardless of this, the uniform updates, if they are approved, would likely be implemented later this year.

• Lucy Stott