Teachers in schools in Perth and Kinross Council have taken almost 9,667 days off work due to stress in the last three years. Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife said: "I have written to the Director of Education in Perth and Kinross to ask what the reasons are for such a high teacher absence rate on account of stress in the classroom. 9,667 days lost is a worrying statistic and it is essential that the local authority finds out exactly why its total is so high and that it takes urgent steps to address the problem. “The publication of these statistics comes hard on the heels of national concerns about the number of supply teachers being available to cover classes and whether the Scottish Government's programme of workforce planning is working properly. “Parents rightly want an assurance that their children are being taught by the designated professional and that every effort is made to ensure that there are as few interruptions to that teacher's class time as possible. I hope Perth and Kinross Council will act quickly to ensure this problem is addressed as soon as possible."