Robert Brown stands up for teacher training courses

12.00.00am GMT Fri 29th Jan 2010

Glasgow MSP Robert Brown has lent his support to a campaign protesting against cuts in teacher education.

The University and College Union (UCU) this week protested outside the Scottish Parliament against SNP Government plans to slash teacher training numbers in Scotland.

Hundreds of training places are set to go, with heavy losses especially in Strathclyde University's Education Faculty at Jordanhill.

The Faculty of Education at Strathclyde University is the largest provider of postgraduate primary and secondary teacher training in Scotland.

In 2007/2008, funding was provided to train 537 students in the Postgraduate Secondary teaching qualification at Strathclyde. 475 postgraduate primary teaching students were also trained that year.

Numbers fell in 2008, but an announcement last March declared that the 2009 intake would increase 10% on the previous year.

However, the Education Secretary forced an embarrassing U turn onto Universities the following month - compelling them to actually slash their intakes for 2009 by almost a fifth - equating to a drop of 200 postgraduate secondary places across Scotland.

In 2005, former SNP Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop declared, "…The lack of teachers in Scottish classrooms is the ticking timebomb within out education system. With around half of Scotland's current teachers expected to retire within 10 years, we need radical action now to prevent disaster in the future…"

Robert Brown, who was Deputy Minister for Education in the previous Scottish Government, said:

"Generations of teachers from all over the west of Scotland have trained at Jordanhill. I am very concerned that the Government's plans to cut hundreds of teacher training posts are having a huge impact on education departments throughout Scotland, particularly at Jordanhill.

"Jordanhill and the other teacher training departments rely on Government funding to staff teacher training courses. With student numbers fluctuating so quickly, and then falling rapidly in the following years, it will be difficult for Universities to forward plan or indeed retain consistent staffing and resource levels.

"Many Universities are already in uncertain times when it comes to funding, and many are having to really tighten their belts. Chopping the funding for teacher education is not going to help this any.

"More teachers will be required as Scotland's population is set to rise. These planned cuts could hinder our capacity to increase or even maintain teacher numbers.

"Such a large cut in teacher numbers is hasty and ill thought through.

"We don't want to end up in a situation in a few years time where there is shortage of teachers in some secondary subjects, just because of swingeing cuts made now.

"We must also make sure that access to training in all key subject areas is maintained across Scotland.

"The substantial training place reductions planned should be at least staggered to even out the impact on capacity and jobs."

ends