Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr has urged the Scottish Government to focus on getting full compliments of teachers in schools, after a Parliamentary Question revealed up to 1 in 8 teachers in Scottish Schools are temporary.
Out of 52,672 teachers in total, 6,259 are in temporary teaching posts.
In 2006, before the SNP took power in Scotland, only 8% of teachers were on temporary contacts. It then steadily increased to between 11-12% in 2010 and has remained there since.
This includes teachers from all sectors in schools (primary, secondary, special schools and centrally employed) but does not include early years teachers.
Stephen Kerr MSP said:
“It’s vital that young people have permanent teachers to develop the all-important pupil-teacher relationship. We should not be asking teachers to plug gaps in our education system by taking up temporary jobs, leaving them unable to get a mortgage or make a long term plan.
I urge the Scottish Government to at long last put education first and make sure every class has a permanent teacher”.
