(UK) Gove's school plan a 'vicious assault'

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http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/content/view/full/98059

Wednesday 24 November 2010
by Paddy McGuffin


Education Secretary Michael Gove unveiled a raft of regressive measures in his schools white paper today.

Mr Gove set out plans covering teacher training, qualifications and assessment, inspections, league tables and funding.

On qualifications he said: "Primaries and secondaries which fail to get students to an acceptable level and fail to have students making decent progress will be eligible for intervention."

He described the national curriculum as a "straitjacket which stifles the creativity of our best teachers" and said he would give teachers more freedom to "innovate and inspire."

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Ministers will also create a new Troops to Teachers programme to attract "natural leaders" from the armed forces into the classroom.

Teaching unions condemned the proposals as "history repeating itself," "incoherent" and riddled with contradictions.

[Tansy_Gold]

1. Good goddess help our comrades in the UK

Gove is worse than Duncan, if that's possible.

"Troops to Teachers" is probably the single most vomitous concept I've ever heard of. What next? "Pedophiles to Pedagogues"??


TG, NTY

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3. Hi Tansy!

Sadly, this is another of our educational reform exports to the UK: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/jobopportunities/a/troopstoteacher.htm It's an alternative certification program. I'm not against retraining soldiers for civilian jobs, but the overtones of this program have always given me the heebiejeebies.

[Hannah Bell]

2. more global ed war, directed by the masters of the universe.

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4. I'm so sick of these people.

I'm ready to break stuff.

[Hannah Bell]

5. me too. i think a lot of people are, but they don't know what to break.

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6. Education cut protesters in England nailed a police van today.

I have to say, I did find it a little heartwarming.