The government has sneaked in a proposal to allow academies to use unqualified staff to teach children. This is overwhelmingly opposed by parents and teachers but people had their eyes on the Olympic opening ceremony while this measure was introduced without discussion or negotiation.
The government are acting like pickpockets taking advantage of a distraction. Instead of the pound in your pocket they want to steal the right for our children to have professional teachers. The government has dishonestly claimed that this will allow schools to make use of the services of brilliant men and women to come in and teach. Well they can come in to school any time to answer questions from pupils about their brilliant work and if they wanted to teach they would have been brilliant enough to qualify as teachers.
This is a dirty little trick to get education for the poor on the cheap. Their own children? Oh well of course they will have the best that money can buy. It is the common people who only need amateurs.
Frances Maude wrote defending this decision but ended with the paragraphs: “The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, has now extended this freedom to Academy Schools so that they have the flexibility to employ linguists, scientists, engineers, musicians, university professors, and experienced teachers and heads from overseas and the independent sector who may be extremely well-qualified and are excellent teachers, but do not have QTS status.
“I would like to reassure you though that these measures do not and should not detract from the vital role that strong qualifications play in making sure that the best quality teaching can be provided.”
I don’t know if he proof-reads his replies but anyone can see this is a blatant contradiction.
All teaching unions are opposed to this measure and it is up to members to make sure they act together against it. The education of our children will suffer if we don’t.
Derek McMillan, Mid Sussex Socialist Party
This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 30 July 2012 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.
