PRESS RELEASE |
|
5 September 2001 |
| Education White Paper Softens Government Approach to Privatisation
|
|
Commenting on the Education White
Paper, Doug McAvoy, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers with
215,000 in-service members, said: |
|
“The tone of the White Paper
published today is significantly softened from that which was on the brink of
publication in July as a direct result of the pressure exerted by the NUT.
|
|
“We have still to study the
detail of the White Paper. The Union will continue to oppose any profit being
made from the provision of education. Education is for children not for profit.
|
|
“The Government’s
determination to push ahead with an expansion of specialist schools will create
a multi-tiered, divided secondary system. Preferential funding for some schools
will disadvantage others. |
|
“For the foreseeable future,
the Government’s policies will be of benefit to the few and not to the
many.
“The proposal to enable
schools to share teachers will help promote the spread of good practice and
widen teachers’ experience of schools serving different types of
community.
“It will also expose the
disparity of provision that expansion of specialist schools will create.
|
|
“The Government’s slogan
of reform and privatise will not solve the crisis facing our schools through
lack of teachers. The Government should consult the Union on a package of
measures to address that issue including the establishment of an independent
inquiry into teachers’ pay.” |
| .
|
