§ Mr. WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what factors underlay the decision to give the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council the responsibility for deciding the annual intake figures for teacher training courses. [29178]
§ Mr. WilsonSince its inception, the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council has been responsible for allocating funded student places to individual institutions offering teacher education courses. The Secretary of State has made recommendations to SHEFC about overall intake levels to the different types of teacher education courses. In his report on teacher education and training for the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, Sir Stewart Sutherland recommended that we should consider the desirability and implications of increasing the maximum intake to courses of teacher education. In responding to that recommendation I have indicated that we have no plans to abandon entirely controls on the numbers of new teachers being trained. We have, however, decided that the Government should focus in future on their strategic objectives for teacher education and supply, including minimum requirements for newly trained teachers. In keeping with its responsibilities for funding higher education generally, it will be for the Funding Council to set intakes to teacher education courses as it considers appropriate, while ensuring that the Government's strategic objectives are met. This should introduce more flexibility into the teacher education system while ensuring that the needs of the school system are met.
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