Some truly worrying figures published today in relation to teacher numbers in Scotland ...... I never cease to be amazed at the endless debate about Police numbers, yet the total (and almost unquestionable) failure of the Scottish Government on teacher numbers generates precious little attention in comparison?
I posted about this way back in November 2007 ... you could argue around in circles (and many SNP and Labour politicians do just that!) about whether any "1,000 police officers" are new police officers, or additional police officers, or replacement police officers etc. etc. ad nauseam ...
... contrast that with what the SNP 2007 Manifesto ACTUALLY DID SAY about Teacher numbers (check out Page 52 here):
"We will maintain teacher numbers in the face of falling school rolls to cut class sizes and place greater emphasis on teacher recruitment for the early years, languages and science."
A very clear commitment. Teacher numbers will be maintained.
Yet, that is not the picture emerging today from the published statistics, which can be found by looking here (Table 6.1 on Page 34 has the overall numbers). In essence, there are 975 fewer teachers across Scotland this year than last.
I'm tempted to suggest they must all have applied to be police officers ... but bad jokes aside, its an appalling failure and the relevant Scottish Government Minister should urgently explain how she intends to (at least) reverse this trend?
2 comments:
I totally understand where you are coming from but really, party politicians, no matter what party, make promises to get votes and DO NOT keep them. This past week, No More Sleeze and No More Boom and Bust rings loudly in my ears and I am sure many of the electorate's without even going to all the failed manifesto promises from the Labour government.
Having been engrossed in this since yesterday afternoon, it brings back a quote from my Edinburgh School lessons (when thankfully we had a school system that was the envy of the world - speaking from experience - not a soundbyte) which should be fitting for the current Westminster government:
In paradisum deducant te angeli,
in tuo adventu
suscipiant te martyres,
et perducant te
in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.
Chorus angelorum te suscipiat,
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere
aeternam habeas requiem.
If there were a Red Wedge tour today, who would perform?
John
Slightly off-topic ... but I accept it's your view. Its not one I share.
I do feel the current Scottish Government's record on Education is particularly bad, and that's all I'm trying to highlight.
Andrew
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