Half of places on secondary postgrad teaching courses unfilled

Responding to new figures published by the Scottish Government showing that half of places on secondary postgrad teaching courses are unfilled, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie said:

"This is catastrophic news for the future of learning in Scotland. If we want to give our young people the best chance of getting ahead in life, they need access to great teachers and a great education.

“The satisfaction that comes from shaping young minds is not enough on its own. Teaching also needs to come with an appealing salary and conditions. That is not the case when violence is becoming increasingly prominent, classroom support is being stripped out of schools and industrial disputes are a regular occurrence.

“We need a proper plan for getting Scottish education moving in the right direction. Scottish Liberal Democrats would give young people better access to expert teachers in STEM subjects by bringing back principal teachers for each of them and for each science. That will create a more attractive career path for graduates in STEM subjects within teaching.

“The SNP can’t even get the basics right.”