Hire ex-soldiers as teachers, says union

Published on Tuesday 29 April 2008 22:52

RETIRED soldiers should be recruited as teachers to improve discipline in Scotland's schools, according to a teaching union official.

An American scheme has inspired the idea proposed by the NASUWT to tackle the "war zone characteristics" of some classrooms and turn "troops into teachers".

Roy Robertson, secretary of the union's Clackmannanshire branch, who served in the Territorial Army for more than 20 years, said he had seen violence in the playground escalate from "a bit of kicking" to "smashing someone's head into the ground".

He blamed the degeneration on the number of murders children can watch on television and on video games which normalise violence.

Mr Robertson, who has taught for 36 years, said: "It might not be a bad idea to adopt this notion of turning troops into teachers. When people leave the army they can move into teaching."

He said he believed in the transformative power of the armed forces on discipline.

"The first discipline you learn in the army is internal self-discipline and you have to teach that to kids. Very often that is something that is missing at home.

"More people are used to the notion of violence as part of society and the glorification of it in computer games."

However, parents were sceptical. Eleanor Coner, information officer at the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: "I don't see why ex-service people would particularly make good teachers.

"Good discipline comes with good teaching and just because someone is good at discipline, it will not necessarily make them a good teacher."

A Scottish Government spokesman said it was up to headteachers to set their own behaviour policies.