Meeting of the Parliament 28 May 2025
I thank Mr Rennie for lodging the motion for debate during Liberal Democrat time. I thought that the story that he set out at the start of his speech was deeply emotional, and I ask him to share details of that case with my office. I would be keen to look into the specifics and see what assistance, if any, my officials and I might be able to provide.
I start by recognising and acknowledging the challenges that the motion sets out around teacher recruitment and employment. In concluding, Mr Rennie said that there is not a simple answer, noting the shared responsibilities. It is important that we do not apportion blame but talk about the shared responsibilities that exist in law in relation to how our education system is structured. However, I want to listen today to the challenge from the Opposition and to engage where, collectively, working with local government, we can seek to drive the improvements that are needed in Scotland’s schools.
We all know that teacher recruitment is an enabler in driving that improvement, and we know that it is a challenge that is not unique to Scotland. Last week, I was at the Education World Forum in London, where I met fellow education ministers from all over the world. We talked about the issue in their countries, which exists in a range of different subject areas. We know that, in England, in all but one of the past 10 years, the Department for Education has missed its target for those starting secondary school teacher training. In Wales, the chief inspector has raised similar concerns about the impact that recruitment is having on the curriculum.
We also know that the United Nations has suggested that the Covid pandemic affected public perceptions of teaching. Last year, in its global report on teachers, the UN found that the pandemic had in some ways improved public perceptions of the status of teaching, but, according to the UN, that perceived change was temporary. That global context is important because, in Scotland, our teachers remain the best paid in these islands, with the lowest pupil teacher ratio.
However, teaching also needs to be an attractive vocation and people need to feel valued. I had a modern studies teacher who used to talk about the light-bulb moment when, in teaching a concept, they could almost see a child understand and develop their knowledge. Our teachers make a difference every day. Post-pandemic, we need to make a concerted effort to celebrate the positive importance of teachers in our schools. That is why, later this year, the Government will introduce a new teacher recruitment marketing campaign to encourage more students to take up a career in teaching. I hope that colleagues across the chamber will be able to support that campaign.
We know that, if we are to deliver on reducing class contact time, we need to have more teachers in Scotland’s schools.