To ask the Scottish Government when the education secretary last met with Aberdeenshire Council, and what was discussed. (S6O-03639)

I last met representatives from Aberdeenshire Council on 16 May. We discussed issues around teacher recruitment and retention and the teacher induction scheme.

The cabinet secretary was quick to point out in a reply to me on 3 June that Aberdeenshire Council had welcomed 20 newly qualified secondary school teachers for the coming school year. However, she failed to point out that the council had requested 44 teachers and that this is just the latest case, in a years-long problem, of a rural council not being sent enough teachers. What is the Government going to do to recruit teachers, particularly for our rural communities?

I thank the member for his interest in the issue. The issue that he raises is not specific to Aberdeenshire; there are challenges in Highland Council and a number of other rural parts of the country. I have worked closely with officials in Aberdeenshire Council and elected members who are in the member’s party to provide support. For example, this year, we have been able to increase the number of probationers allocated to that area, and the local authority welcomed that in my engagement with it.

More broadly, as the member knows, in answering recent parliamentary questions, I have said that I am keen to look at the probationer scheme and how it is supporting local authorities such as Aberdeenshire Council. We know that, post-pandemic, many probationers are opting not to tick the box to go anywhere—there is a reticence to do that. We need to look again at the probationer scheme, which is fully funded by the Scottish Government, and ensure that it is better meeting the needs of local authorities such as the member’s.