* Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish National Party “The issues facing him will be how to raise morale in the teaching profession and how to raise standards in schools without going down the Anglicisation road Helen Liddell was going down. The pressing issue is teachers’ pay.”

* Brian Monteith, Scottish Conservatives “He will need all his neurological powers to extricate this Government from the mess it’s made over teachers’ pay and falling standards.”

* Donald Gorrie, Liberal Democrat MSP “He may bring some fresh thinking and I hope he does not continue the anti-teacher rhetoric of Brian Wilson and Helen Liddell. But he’s set in his opinions and can be pretty dour, grumpy and difficult.”

* Ronnie Smith, general secretary, EIS “I do hope, with a new minister operating in a Scottish executive and answering to the Scottish Parliament, we will not simply have a continuation of what was in the pipeline. I hope he will look at things with a fresh eye.”

* Jim Docherty, assistant secretary, SSTA “I hope he provides peace in the classroom.”

* Michael O’Neill, president, Association of Directors of Education “His appointment could represent a significant step towards rebuilding teacher morale. He should take the Targeting Excellence White Paper and mould it into a specific Scottish agenda. There would be a warm welcome from the profession if the Education Bill delivered a national plan.”

* Bronwen Cohen, director of Children in Scotland “I’m pleased he is described as Minister for Children and Education. That’s the right way round.”