Debt puts off teachers

Increased tuition fees will have serious consequences for the recruitment and retention of teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers has warned.

Many students on teacher training courses, faced with the growing burden of debts, are considering other career options after qualifying, delegates heard at the association's annual conference in Blackpool.

Julia Neal, ATL executive committee member for Cornwall and Devon, proposed that the government must cancel student debts for public sector workers.