Peacock calls on Executive to fund posts for new teachers, or say where the extra cash has gone
Peter Peacock, Labour Highlands and Islands regional MSP today called on the Scottish Executive to fully fund local authorities in the Highlands and Islands to create additional posts and give newly qualified teachers continuity in employment, or say where the extra cash available has gone.
He said:
"We were highly successful in attracting new teachers into the profession to enable class sizes to be cut and to help overtake the retirement bulge coming when more teachers retire.
"The newly qualified teachers have demonstrated their value and they are helping to transform Scottish education.
"It would be a crime to lose them and every effort should be made to retain these staff in our schools.
"Last year I gave local authorities extra money to create almost 1,000 posts specifically for this purpose.
"That money was due to rise again this year, to create even more posts, and Labour planned to go even further than I had already announced, using the huge sums of extra cash Gordon Brown made available to Scotland in his last budget.
"I know the money is available to keep every new teacher in Scottish education and it is time the Education Minister stopped dragging her feet and made the commitment to ensure all new teachers are employed – if not, she needs to say where she is spending the money instead, or why John Swinney won’t let her spend it on teachers.
"We knew during the election the SNP were not committing as much to education as we planned, and they need to say where the extra cash available is going instead.
"Throughout the Highlands, Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles, Argyll and Bute, and Moray, schools could use the new teachers, make decisive steps forward to cut class sizes and improve teaching and learning."