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Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009 | Printer Friendly Version | |

REVIEW OF TEACHER EDUCATION - EIS COMMENT

Commenting on today's Scottish Government announcement of a review of teacher education, EIS General Secretary Ronnie Smith said: “At the heart of high quality teaching is high quality teacher education – both in preparing new teachers and the ongoing development of qualified teachers. The status and attractiveness of teaching as a profession are linked to the levels of qualifications required of practitioners. That is why the EIS has long been committed to an all-graduate profession, with core provision of teacher education embedded in our higher education system.”

He continued, “It will be critical for this review to set aside utilitarian considerations about costs and ease of access, and, instead, to focus on standards and quality. Teacher education must not be confined to teachers' mastery of the Curriculum for Excellence. It will be important not to limit teachers' professionalism, or to reduce teacher education to the mere acquisition of technical skills, but to enhance their ability to think critically and to take decisions informed by sound research.”

“The EIS doubts whether the scale of the task set out can be adequately addressed in the relatively short time frame or by method proposed. We will certainly expect a much greater level of engagement with the profession than has been in evidence during the formulation of this initiative”, said Mr Smith.