§ Mr. BowisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students were recruited to courses of initial teacher training in 1991.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeA survey undertaken by my Department shows that 28,792 students entered courses of initial teacher training in England and Wales in October 1991. This is a dramatic increase of 4,998 or 21 per cent. over 1990. Intakes to primary courses were 13.5 per cent. higher and intakes to secondary courses were 32.4 per cent. higher than last year. There were increases of 35 per cent. or more in intakes to courses in the secondary shortage subjects of mathematics—42 per cent.—science—38 per cent.—technology—57 per cent.—and modern languages —35 per cent.
Overall recruitment into teacher training this year is at its highest level for any year since 1976. It is especially encouraging to see particularly good increases in shortage subjects. It shows that teaching is once again an attractive career option for young people and that we should not face any serious problems of teacher shortage over the next four years.
I am placing in the Library the detailed results of the survey.