Scottish Tories launch education plan

Pledge to recruit 433 more teachers in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Six yeas ago today Scotland voted to stay in the UK. We must spend the next six years rebuilding Scotland’s education system, say the Scottish Conservatives.

They say they will hire 3000 new teachers over the next parliament to restore local schools to where they were before the SNP came to power.

Today, the Scottish Conservatives unveiled proposals to recruit 3,000 more teachers over the next Parliament. 

The plans which would cost £550 million, would end teacher shortages that have arisen since the SNP came into power in 2007.  

The paper also calls for a dedicated STEM teacher to be available in every Primary school, increased opportunities for career switchers to move into teaching and a new campaign to encourage the best and brightest to take up teaching. 

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “Education has to be a top priority in Scotland to invest in the future, however under this SNP Government education standards have slipped.

“Recruiting more teachers would allow each pupils to have a larger choice of subjects, as well as increased one on one learning.

“It is well established that smaller class sizes are better for student learning, so having a smaller teacher to pupil ratio can only be a good thing.

“Edinburgh and the Lothians have the fastest growing population in Scotland so it is important more teachers are recruited in advance, rather than after there is a shortage.”

Council	Teachers latest census	Teachers increase
City of Edinburgh	3584	209
East Lothian	980	57
Midlothian	955	55
West Lothian	1930	112