Category: politics

Simple tool to help educators vote

Posted on by primaryt

Worried the general election might be about leaders and not policies? Not to worry, remove any external influences by simply voting on 26 educational policies. Say which you like then it tells you which parties policies you prefer. The site has no government ties or associations and only takes a minute or so.

Important or not?  This is the link to the tool.

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The conservative education policy is lead by the wrong person?

Posted on by primaryt

Why is a guy who wrote a book on “How the West’s policy of appeasement has provoked yet more fundamentalist terror – and what has to be done now.” now the guy who wants to lead educational policy for the UK?

Cameron claims the conservative party have a “strong team”. In my opinion putting this guy in charge of Education is like putting Captain Jack Sparrow in charge of a new born baby.  No surprise then that the conservatives have considered dropping the BSF scheme.

I’m just saying the credentials don’t add up.. Is he seriously the best the conservatives have for this very important job? If they want my vote they will need to do better..

In case you were wondering about the Lib dem’s guy, he can be found here and it’s the same sad song.  Same goes for Ed balls, only counter argument is that he was a teaching fellow and has had a few years in the post at current.  Gordon Brown also talks on this (if the sponsors price is right):

Thanks to Merlin John for pointing this out

More videos like this can be found here

So the question begs, when will a teacher or someone with actual teaching experience actually lead education in this country?

Conservatives will be radical on Education

Posted on by primaryt
Recently the Culture spokesman for the Conservatives was on hard talk.
He said conservative policies would focus on:
  1. Putting information out to the public
  2. Openness
  3. Transparency
  4. Technology
  5. Competition (both public and private sector)
The idea is that by using technology they can reduce public spending, I have done a few posts on how ICT can be used to save money in Primary Schools before so this ties in well with my views.
“The democratisation of information – primarily through technology – has revolutionised the way we act and interact. Individuals have direct control over what they want to know and when they know it” — Conservative party education policy 2009.
To summarize: The conservatives know the internet is a big deal… Well done……..
Technology or ICT barey gets a mention in the policy however there is space to mention “Strict school uniform policies, with blazer, shirt and tie and with a zero-tolerance of incorrect or untidy dress.”
How a policy can prioritise the issue of school uniform over the use of technology baffles me and shows a backwards approach to 21st century learning.
I’m not pro or against any party, I’m still convinced labour will whip an ace from up it’s sleave a few months before the general election and David Milliband will replace Gordon Brown which will have a massive impact on opinion polls.
As for the lib dem’s I can’t even find their education policy and as for Labour when I go to their website I can’t get over the fact the main focus their page design points to is to donate money to the government, is the economy really that bad?
To summarize:
Lib Dems: ArgleBargle.