At some academy chains, teachers are offered private medical care, interest-free loans for season tickets and the chance to study for master's degrees at Harvard and
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said that if all schools became academies and offered these perks, the bill for the education system would be much higher. "It is somewhat slight of hand to be talking about season tickets when the government is trying to cut teachers' pensions," he said. "Teachers should be paid a good basic wage and then it should be left up to them what they spend this on."
Read the Rest
This latest offering from Michael Gove is an outrage and a clear attempt to bribe more schools into the private sector. However, what Mr. Gove should realise is that teachers, especially in Lancashire where anti-academy strikes are happening on a frequent basis, do not care about things such as season tickets, but care about providing the very best education they can for the students they teach. Education is not a matter for the private sector, where cost-cutting always leads to a decline in services provided. We owe our kids much more than this. Are we meant to tell them not to worry when they don't have the correct support they need in school and instead offer to take them to see a football match? How ridiculous does that sound? It is truly an insult to our kids. Can someone please get rid of this out of touch minister for education and give us someone who not only understands but actually cares about state education in this country. If we carry on down this road, we will have failed our kids and disadvantaged them for the future. Can we look the next generation in the eye and say it was worth it so we could watch the footie at the weekend? Actually, in an Academy, teachers probably won't get weekends- they will be at work.
ReplyDelete