With today's announcement from the Headteacher's Association of Scotland (HAS) on staff shortages having reached crisis point in some schools despite an increase in teacher training, a shadow of doubt may be cast over Scottish Executive plans to have a target of 53,000 teachers by 2007.

Scotland's new Chair of Teacher Education, Professor Ian Menter at the University of Glasgow's Curriculum Studies Department had the following to say:

'The Scottish Executive is having to face two major challenges in recruting and retaining teachers.

The first is to ensure that there is a match between the overall demand for teachers and the available supply. This is particularly challenging at present because of the attempts to reduce class size for maths and English and because of the reductions in class contact hours brought in following the McCrone settlement.

The second is to ensure that there is a sufficient pool of supply teachers available for temporary cover. They need to be in the right places and with the right specialisms. The study which we carried out for the Executive last year found there were indeed major difficulties in some areas and some subjects.

While Mr Peacock may be justified in claiming that in Scotland teaching is viewed as a relatively attractive profession, we did nevertheless find many supply teachers in our study who felt they were not well supported and that their contribution was not fully recognised.'

Professor Ian Menter was appointed as the first ever Chair of Teacher Education at the University of Glasgow at the end of last year.

Commenting on the creation of this new post, Hirek Kwiatkowski, Dean of the Faculty of Education said:

'As a permanent position the Chair of Teacher Education is the first of its kind in Scotland. Professor Menter has an exciting and crucial role in the effective development and co-ordination of research into initial teacher education and continuing professional development. The creation of this new post reflects the commitment to educational research underpinning initial teacher education at the University of Glasgow.'

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For fuller comment from Professor Ian Menter please contact him directly on 07971 337-477. Alternatively contact Mike Findlay, the University Press Officer on 0141 330-3535.

More details of today's announcement can be found on the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4266379.stm.

First published: 15 February 2005