A major summit will take place in Aberdeen today in an effort to solve a teaching recruitment crisis in the north of Scotland.
Led by the city council, Education Secretary Angela Constance has been invited to meet with school chiefs from all eight local authorities in the north.
During the event at the Beach Ballroom, discussions will be held on what each authority can do, with the help of the Scottish Government, to attract new blood to the region’s schools before education bosses are faced with a staffing crisis.
The new school year began with almost 300 teaching posts unfilled across the regions – including 39 head teacher jobs.
Local authorities in the north have £1million on job adverts in recent months because of the ongoing problems.
Last night Highland Council’s education convener Councillor Drew Millar said it was vital for all parties involved to come up with incentives to pull new recruits away from the central belt.
Mr Millar said: “I understand young people want to be where the action is, but from our point of view, we can offer a positive lifestyle and future for people if they want to live here.
“I’m certainly hoping that something will come from this, hopefully we can manage to share our resources and best practices so we can get a better deal for our children.”
Margaret Winton, head teacher at Glashieburn School in Bridge of Don, has called for the Scottish Government to step in and offer incentives to people to take up posts in the region.
She added: “At one time I took up a job in another part of the country because of the incentives on offer.
“It’s vital that they show people what Aberdeen is like and what kind of place it is to work and to live – it’s a great place to do both.”
The Scottish Government says education is at the “heart” of its ambition for the country.
A spokeswoman said: “We want all schools to have access to the right number of teachers with the right skills so every child can reach their full potential. We are keen to work with local authorities, which are responsible for the delivery of education, to find solutions to attract and retain teachers in their local area.”