by Conrad Landin
in Edinburgh

SCOTLAND’S Deputy First Minister John Swinney distanced himself from one of his party’s MSPs yesterday after she said she would not be a teacher “for all the money in the world.”

Scottish teachers recently secured a 13.51 per cent pay rise over three years, after teaching unions threatened to strike to end years of salary stagnation.

The offer has been accepted by unions including the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS), the largest representing teachers north of the border. But the NASUWT union is pressing ahead with a strike ballot, citing excessive workloads and misbehaving pupils.

At an NASUWT fringe meeting at the SNP conference on Saturday, MSP Rona Mackay said: “Stress levels must be through the roof.

“I would not do your job for all the money in the world, with existing pressures and rising pressures.”

At another conference meeting organised by EIS on Sunday, Mr Swinney, who holds the Scottish government’s education brief, was asked by the Morning Star whether he agreed with Ms Mackay’s assessment.

The deputy first minister replied: “I realise that teaching is a challenge; it’s a challenging role for individuals to undertake.

“I don’t agree with the assessment that you’ve cited to me today, because I think that my impression of the Scottish education is that, yes, there are challenging days … but generally, pupils behave well in schools and they contribute significantly to the advancement of the education agenda.”

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates told the Star: “The recognition of the current pressures on teachers, particularly the growing problem of pupil indiscipline, is very welcome.

“We need more politicians who are prepared to stand up and say this is unacceptable and that urgent action is needed by government and employers.”