Both David Miliband, Minister for SchoolStandards, and Will Straw, President of the Oxford Union and son of Jack Straw,Foreign Secretary, write for the latest edition of the NUTs Education Review*.(Both articles are attached in full.)
David Miliband argues the case for theschool workforce agreement, in an attempt to reach members of the NUT over theheads of the Unions leadership whom ministers refuse to meet other than asrequired by law. The Government has banned the Union from discussions on theimplementation of the agreement because of its refusal to sign up to the deal.
Mr Miliband says: I urge you, as the NUTsmembership, to give us the benefit of your experience and expertise, tocontribute to the consultation and eventually join with us in taking thischance to make once in a lifetime reforms that will be good for you and yourpupils.
Once again, Mr Miliband repeats the claimthat higher level classroom assistants will take on teaching activities underthe direction of a qualified teacher. But he fails to mention that this doesnot mean the teacher will be in the classroom. He says that HTLAs will beactively engaged in the teaching process.
Will Straw describes the GovernmentsAccess Regulator as a half-baked idea that tackles the problem the wrong wayaround. He says that this form ofsocial engineering can only harm those students who fill up the quotas bystigmatizing them as second rate. It would also be tragic if some of thosedrafted in simply could not cope and had to drop out with huge amounts of debtbut no degree certificate.
The real problem lies in the fact thatsimply not enough applications are being made by able state school students.This reinforces the importance of outreach work to encourage a greater numberof people making applications. He draws attention to the Target Schoolsprogramme which forms links with every state school in the country and is runby Oxford University Students Union. Students visit schools in their area, hostopen days for potential applicants and organise regional tours.
Applications from the state sector haverisen every single year since the scheme was put in place, he points out.
But the Governments aim of wideningparticipation through an effective and fair system of student support has amissing piece - the deterrent of debt. The truth is the target audience isalso societys most risk-averse. Coming from a family with no history ofparticipation in higher education, the language of investing in ones futuresounds, and is, a very middle class value.
A projected debt at the end of a universitycourse of 21,000 scares even the most upwardly mobile and is an unacceptablyhigh level. It will undoubtedly deter poorer students and is fundamentally atodds with the state aim of widening participation.
*Education Review is published twice a yearby the NUT and is available from the Union, price 8 to non-members and 5 formembers.
E N D Pr.50/03
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