Commenting on the resignations of
almost all ministers from the Department for Education,
Kevin Courtney, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education
Union,
said:
"It is simply not credible to claim a
government is still governing when the education department
almost entirely empties itself of ministers in a little over 24
hours. At the rate of resignations, there is no prospect right
now of an education department fit to oversee any of the
challenges of the coming weeks.
"We can only hope that any eventual
successor, emerging from this chaos, will reflect on the
Government’s recent difficulties over the Schools Bill. It
is irrelevant to the actual situation in schools and the many
pressing issues in education. Any Government serious about
raising outcomes for young people would listen to the profession,
parents and students about what is needed rather than repeating
the mistakes of the most recent education ministers by trying to
pursue huge structural reforms on a flimsy evidence
base
"There are many issues that are vital
to our young people and those who educate them. We need a
Secretary of State to fight a battle with the Chancellor for
schools funding. We need a Secretary of State to deal with the
crisis in teacher recruitment and retention and support staff
retention. We need a Secretary of State looking at the STRB
report who can also decide to award a pay rise which at least
matches inflation. The last of these is perhaps most pressing, as
the summer term ends soon and school leaders must be in
knowledge of the pay rise and any additional funding in order to
plan their budget for next year. It is deeply inconsiderate and
insulting to everyone not to resolve this matter by the end of
term."
