Scot Lib Dems to lead debate calling for immediate teacher workforce plan

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie will lead a Scottish Parliament debate on Wednesday afternoon in which his party will call for an immediate teacher workforce plan to counter declines in key subjects like Maths and Physics and a lack of permanent contracts for teaching staff.

Scottish Liberal Democrat analysis has revealed that since the SNP came to power:

• There are 363 fewer Maths teachers, a 13.0% decrease, with 32 maths teachers lost in the last year alone.
• There are 91 fewer Physics teachers, a 10.3% decrease, with 18 fewer Physics teachers in the last year alone.
• There are 216 fewer Computing Studies teachers, a 28.2% decrease, with 28 fewer in the last year alone.
• There are 180 fewer Technical Education teachers, a 13.4% decrease.
• Modern languages teachers have fallen by more than a fifth.

In 2016/17, 56.5% of post-induction scheme teachers found full-time permanent employment, but that has now dropped to just 24.9% in 2023/24.

Commenting ahead of the debate, Willie Rennie MSP said:

“The SNP have turned teacher recruitment into a dog’s breakfast.

“The teaching of science, technology, engineering and maths in our schools is integral to Scotland’s economic future but pupils are missing out on hundreds of teachers, desperately needed to inspire them, lift attainment and propel them on towards high-skill high-pay jobs.

“This means there is a vicious cycle that diminishes the skills of future generations and undermines teacher recruitment for years to come. This impact is even more pronounced in remote and rural areas.

“At the same time, there are lots of talented staff who cannot find permanent jobs. What’s the point in training more teachers if there are no jobs for them to slot into?

“This debate is about saying to the Scottish Government, and the Education Secretary in particular, that enough is enough.

“The Scottish Government need to introduce more incentives to attract suitable people, offer routes to match trainees to jobs and an immediate workforce plan to ensure our kids get the best education.”