EIS Welcomes Appointment of New Cabinet Secretary for Education

The EIS has today welcomed the appointment of Jenny Gilruth MSP as the new Cabinet Secretary for Education in the Scottish Government.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, "The EIS welcomes the appointment of Jenny Gilruth as the new Cabinet Secretary for Education. As a former teacher, Ms Gilruth will bring first-hand experience and knowledge of Scottish education, its strengths, rich worth and value despite the challenges that teachers and pupils often face in the classroom as a result of socio-economic factors, resource constraints and other critical issues."

Ms Bradley continued, "During the pay dispute teachers welcomed Ms Gilruth’s acknowledgment of the vital work of teachers and her support for increasing teacher pay in light of the soaring cost of living.

"While the matter of teacher pay is now settled for this year, it is encouraging that the new Cabinet Secretary will enter future negotiations on pay and, hopefully, improvements to teacher workload and wellbeing, and discussions on how we can enhance the quality of education provision for children and young people overall, with such a positive mindset."

Ms Bradley added, "The EIS will look forward to engaging with Ms Gilruth in the near future, and to working constructively in partnership in the best interests of Scottish education, its learners and its teaching professionals."