Teacher Shortage (Hansard, 11 June 1969)

§ 43. Mr. Rankin
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to deal with the teacher shortage in Scottish schools.

§ Mr. Millan
Recruitment of teachers is being increased as a result of various measures, including a considerable expansion in places at colleges of education. A scheme of inducement payments to teachers in designated schools of severe shortage was introduced last year, and I am consulting authorities and other appropriate bodies about possible means of improving further the distribution of teachers.

§ Mr. Rankin
As the shortage of teachers is being seriously increased, is it not now imperative that my hon. Friend should have another look at this problem of the registration and re-registration of teachers? Does he realise that this is only going to make the problem infinitely worse in view of the fact that it is said authoritatively that so far about 10,000 teachers in Scotland have not registered?

§ Mr. Millan
My right hon. Friend earlier today answered Questions about registration. I could not accept the figure quoted by my hon. Friend, or anything like it. I do not believe that this has had an effect on teacher recruitment or on teacher shortage.

§ Mr. MacArthur
Can the hon. Gentleman say what the shortage of teachers will be when the school-leaving age is raised, and can he also say what steps the Government are taking to overcome this shortage?

§ Mr. Millan
I could not give a figure offhand, but the hon. Gentleman will be aware from the recent study which we have published with regard to staffing in secondary schools that there must be some considerable doubt about the figures of teacher shortages which were brought out previously from the returns made by local education authorities. One of the things that we are working on now is a way of getting much more accurate estimates of teacher demand than we have had up to the present.