The Secretary of State for Education, the Rt. Honourable Michael Gove, is doing what all previous Secretaries of State for Education have done, grind their political axes, put forward their politically driven ideologies, have very little experience in education, yet make policies, sometimes, it seems, on the hoof, that the education system has to follow! However I think that education is devolved in Scotland and Wales, let us see what rabbits they pull out of the hat to keep up with the Joneses.
The present upset is the latest idea is to turn back the clock to the 1950's or 1960's and have linear exams, and call them 'O'Levels for the brighter kids and have 'simpler' exams for those of lower ability. Plus ca change, pus ca meme chose! Isn't that what a well designed education system designed to do? Haven't we had that since the Tories messed around with the education system 20 years ago?
My solution is quite simple. Make Education apolitical. Have Education run by people who know about Education. Once you have decided what children need to know, stick to it. The reason that we have had 'grade inflation' in the past years may indeed have something to do with the exams 'getting easier', but everyone has ignored the fact that the teaching of these exams has improved because teachers have become familiar with what is required. Is 'teaching to the test' a bad thing? I guess it is alright if the test tests real learning.
We only have a few more weeks before the annual rite of "'A' Levels are getting easier", as the A/A* rates go up. That is one of the biggest insults to young people that I have ever heard! As an 'A' Level teacher, I know how hard students have to work to get an A/A*. The country should be rightly proud of these young people for the efforts that they have put in. But I know that on August 13th what the headlines in the newspapers will be...............
No comments:
Post a Comment