Liberal Democrats urged to champion state education

19 September 2011

The NASUWT has urged Liberal Democrats to show greater leadership and fight for the future of state education.

The Liberal Democrats have a proud record of championing local democracy yet are allowing their coalition partners to destroy the system of state education, NASUWT's General Secretary Chris Keates told delegates at the party's annual conference in Birmingham.

Addressing an NASUWT fringe meeting on the future of state education, Ms Keates congratulated party members on passing a motion at last year's conference opposing academies and free schools, but warned that without decisive action from its leaders a democratically accountable education service could soon be a thing of the past.

“Many of the Liberal Democrat policies pre-election resonated with many teachers across the country, so it is disappointing that under their leadership we are moving to a position where the state education that they professed to value so highly will have no future” she said.

There is no public appetite for academies and free schools, Ms Keates told delegates, pointing to an IPSOS MORI poll which showed that 96% of the public are opposed.

Michael Gove has consistently tried to paint a picture of a state system in chaos, where standards are in freefall and teachers are under performing. These spurious claims are a deliberate attempt to legitimise Mr Gove's privatisation agenda, she added, with the result that public accountability is being eroded while private companies line their pockets with public money.

“Academisation is not about raising standards of education, it is about creating a free market for private providers to come in. Thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money is being creamed off and local democratic accountability is being savaged.”

Ms Keates called on Liberal Democrats to take the same principled stance on the Education Bill as they have on the Health Bill. She argued that both have the potential to fatally undermine equality of access to vital public services yet so far the party has been largely silent on education.

“There has been massive opposition to the Health Bill yet the Education Bill which will have a similar impact is winding its way through Parliament virtually unopposed” she stated, adding:

“I welcome Nick Clegg making public statements that he is stopping private providers from making a profit from education but then why is he not doing more to stop the Education Bill, which is the final building brick in the destruction of state education, passing through Parliament?

“The Liberal Democrats must act to retain high quality education for the many, not just for the privileged few.”

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