The first students to complete a pioneering new teacher training initiative will receive official recognition from the University of Aberdeen on Monday at a special ceremony in Inverness to mark their unique achievement.
The innovative part-time, distance learning Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Primary) programme for primary school teachers was the first of its kind in Scotland and allows students from the Highland Council area the opportunity to study the same primary teacher training programme provided on campus by the University of Aberdeen’s School of Education while working from home using a combination of distance learning techniques.
The new programme, developed in collaboration with Highland Council, was launched in August 2003 and has four Gaelic speaking teachers amongst its numbers. It was designed to address particular teacher shortages in Highland and give opportunities to people who could not move away from home to train.
Gail Robertson, who lives in Portree, is one of the students who will graduate on Monday. She said: “I have found this format of course both challenging and rewarding. The benefit of the part-time distance learning aspect has allowed me to remain at home and in employment whilst studying. If this opportunity had not arisen it would have made my ambition of a teaching career almost impossible. Now after two years, I am very much looking forward to starting my probationary year in Sleat Primary School.”
The students were tutored over the two years by the University’s School of Education staff and Associate Tutors from Highland Council schools in a new partnership approach.
The 23 students (four Gaelic-medium and 19 English-medium) took part in classes via computer and video-conferencing equipment with school experience and practical sessions taking place in their own areas.
Cathy Macaslan, Vice Principal, University of Aberdeen, said: “This is a tremendous achievement for all of these students. They have met the high demands of the course and have also come through the significant personal challenges that distance learning brings.
“Managing to sustain family lives whilst doing this and even, in some cases, keep working in their jobs shows great strength of character and determination.
“They are all to be heartily congratulated and they are a great asset to the profession.
“They have been well supported by the University, their colleagues in schools and the Council itself. This is a credit to Highland Council and the University who together found a solution to a long-standing issue of teacher supply in the Highlands.
“This success has given us the basis for rolling out a similar programme for secondary teaching in Sciences, Maths, English, Gaelic and Home Economics for August 2005.”
Bruce Robertson, Director of Education, Highland Council, said: “The Council is delighted to see this first crop of new teachers graduate from the ground breaking course. We always felt that there was a pool of potential teachers out there who simply could not access teacher training in the conventional route and the success of this course demonstrates that. This could not have happened without the strong commitment of Aberdeen University, The Council and our staff, who have worked closely with the students over the last two years. All the successful students who were looking for work in Highland schools have been placed in areas of their choice and we look forward to seeing the contribution that they will make over the years to education in the Highlands.”
Students who have completed the course come from all over the Highlands and Islands including Caithness, Kyle of Lochalsh and Skye, the Black Isle area, and the Fort William area.