Rennie: Fall in modern languages teachers jeopardises vision for Scotland

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today accused the SNP of presiding over a decline in modern languages, warning that this puts opportunities, the economy and a vision for an outward-looking Scotland “at risk like never before.”

Analysis by the party of the Supplementary School Statistics reveals that:

• There has been a 43% fall in the number of French teachers, decreasing from 1,070 in 2008 to 613 in 2023 – the worst on record.
• The number of German teachers has fallen by almost 60%, dropping from 180 in 2008 in 74 in 2023 – the worst on record.
• The number of Italian teachers has fallen from 12 in 2008 to 5 in 2023.

Mr Rennie said:

“Learning languages broadens opportunities, enriches our economy and delivers a vision for an outward-looking Scotland, but the SNP are putting all of that at risk like never before.  

“These disturbingly low figures have big consequences. Lack of language teachers can lead to a drop in the number of pupils taking subjects like French, German and Italian, which in turn means universities deciding to scrap modern languages degrees altogether, as we saw Aberdeen attempting last year.  

“We need a plan to get Scottish education moving in the right direction. Scottish Liberal Democrats would make teaching a more attractive career path by bringing back principal teachers for key subjects, halting teacher cuts, funding stable contracts and boosting in-class support.”