Had Their Chips

”’EDUCATION, education, education” was such a hit at the polls that it’s a real wonder Tony Blair hasn’t repeated his famous mantra more often.

”It’s an email from sir. He says that he’s living in a shed in Fife”

One reason he doesn’t might be because education is in a mess. The Independent uses its front page to tell readers how almost 1,500 teachers and support staff have just been issued with their marching orders.

It seems that a lack of funds and falling numbers of pupils, which a BBC report produced in the Guardian says accounts for around 700 of the redundancies, are swelling the ranks of the unemployed.

The Times says that, in all, 379 professional full-time teachers have been given the boot simply because their schools lack the cash to keep them on.

But the Government is not in power for no reason (really it’s not) and the Times underscores the redundancy notice with news that the number of pupils expelled from schools increased by 4% on the previous year.

What are now called ”permanent exclusions” accounted for the classroom careers of 9,540 children in 2001-2002. There is, though, still some way to go before the 1996-97 peak of 12,668 expulsions.

Which means that taking the figure of 379 sacked educators, there is one unemployed teacher to every 25 or so pupils. Which, we can all agree, is a marvellous thing.

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Posted: 30th, May 2003 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink