Qualified words

Ask most parents what are the two greatest issues relating to their children and you are likely be told: health and education. Ensuring that both of these needs are properly met must be of concern to Scottish parents because there is a shortage of both doctors and teachers. Overcoming these shortages is a challenge for the Government.

There has been no suggestion the NHS should recruit unqualifieddoctorstolearnon the job while treating patients. Quite right. I would not want to be treated by someone who was not professionally qualified. However, it appears that the Scottish Government and main opposition party are happy for our children to be taught by someone who has not been trained as they can learn on the job (Scotsman 3 June).

This attitude to teaching partly explains why there is a shortage of teachers and why some places at the teacher training institutes are unfilled. Clearly the government does not regard teaching as a profession requiring a recognised qualification before you are allowed to practice. Is it surprising that able graduates do not see teaching as a desirable vocation? Hopefully the General Teaching Council for Scotland will reject this proposal.

There are no quick easy solutions to the teacher shortage and demeaning the status of teachers will not help. The only short term answer is to look to recruit trained teachers from countries that have a surplus.

IAN M DUTTON The Meadow, Stichill, Kelso