New courses are to be created to provide teachers in Scotland with specialist skills so that graduate teachers can meet the needs of teaching younger children in nursery and early primary classes.
The Scottish Government is to provide £150,000 to trial a postgraduate degree in early education for teachers at Aberdeen University and £60,000 to Stirling University to develop a primary teaching degree that specialises in early years education.
Children's Minister Adam Ingram said in a statement: "Our Early Years Framework is fostering an unprecedented focus on helping our youngest children and we have already delivered record levels of pre-school entitlement for Scotland's children - with further increases on the way.
"We're moving to build on that foundation and recognise how important good quality nursery education is to early development. It's vital that we ensure pre-school children are stimulated and encouraged by learning that is relevant to them and teachers are at the heart of that drive.
"In our concordat with Cosla, we have made a joint commitment to ensure every pre-school child has access to a teacher and by boosting the number of teachers with early years expertise we will promote excellence in this area and help children get off on the right track from the very beginning."
In the autumn, 40 teachers working in early years education across the north of Scotland will begin the Postgraduate Certificate in Early Education in Aberdeen, and a class of around 20 undergraduate students will begin the BA Professional Education (primary) with specialism in early years at Stirling University.
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Last updated: 24 May 2009, 12:13
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