Nearly a third of new teachers in 2005 came from England

His comments came as the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC) recorded a 40% rise in registrations from teachers outside Scotland in 2005.

Recent figures showed teacher vacancies in Scotland had risen above 1,000.

But Mr Peacock said the Scottish Executive aimed to increase teacher numbers to 53,000 by 2007.

Scottish education has an international reputation for high standards and teaching in Scotland has never been more rewarding Education Minister Peter Peacock

The figures showed that 1,465 teachers from outside Scotland registered with the teaching council last year, almost 500 of them from England.

The minister said the statistics showed the executive was on track for reducing class sizes and ensuring pupils received the highest quality of teaching.

He added: "Scottish education has an international reputation for high standards and teaching in Scotland has never been more rewarding.

"The pay and conditions are generous and, of course, the work is vital to the continued success of Scotland."

Professor Eric Wilkinson of Glasgow University said: "We're going to see quite a number of teachers retire in the next five years and obviously they have to be replaced.

There's something special about the Scottish education system Prof Eric Wilkinson Glasgow University

"I see it as a good thing that we should employ teachers from elsewhere.

"But the GTC must do its job and check out the qualifications of people coming from particularly Europe - not so much England - and that there are adequate checks and balances when they get employed within the system."

He continued: "There's something special about the Scottish education system.

"There's a cohesion about it and a general understanding as to what the purpose of everybody should be within it."

Career change

The executive's teacher recruitment campaign highlighted the �22,860 starting salary, the promise of a 35-hour week and more time away from the classroom to mark and prepare work.

The campaign also encouraged final year students and graduates in Scotland, as well as those considering a career change, to take up teaching.

Official statistics published in August showed there were 1,164 teacher vacancies advertised in February this year, compared to 790 in 2004.

A total of 439 posts were also vacant for more than three months, an increase from 335 last year.