Education

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 9:46 am on 13 January 2011.

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Photo of Margaret Smith Margaret Smith Liberal Democrat 9:46, 13 January 2011

No.

It is fundamental to the delivery of quality education that we have the right number of teachers in our schools. I accept that there are positive signs, but there is no place for complacency when the GTCS survey of post-probationer teachers reveals that the number of people who are able to secure full-time, permanent teaching posts is again plummeting and that, on average, six probationers are chasing every position.

The SNP seems to refuse to acknowledge any responsibility for the number of teachers in Scotland, whether we are talking about employed or unemployed teachers. The SNP's stance is strange, given its manifesto pledge to keep teacher numbers at the record high of 53,000 that it inherited from the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party. The cabinet secretary said that the previous Administration's position was not sustainable, so why did the SNP promise to sustain it?