A new member, Charles Bestwick, has been appointed to the Commission following the resignation of Sandy Longmuir. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell, said:
"I am pleased that Dr Charles Bestwick has accepted my nomination to join the Commission on Rural Education. The Commission's work examining the delivery of rural education is crucial and I know Charles will speak up for rural schools. He is a respected campaigner against school closures and his knowledge and experience of the issues the Commission faces will be a valuable addition to the Commission. I wish him and the other Commission members well in their work."
The Commission's Call for Evidence will close on Thursday, 12 January 2012 and all the responses will then be considered. The Commission can still be contacted following the deadline at commissiononruraleducation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
The Commission is currently planning how to take oral evidence from communities and details of its visits and public meetings will be placed here as they are arranged.
The Commission has met three times, on 24 August in Edinburgh, on 28 September in Aberdeen and 29 November in Inverness. The Commission's next meeting will take place in Perth on 26 January 2012.