At a National Education Union rally today [1], the Green
Party Spokesperson for Education Vix Lowthion will call on all
parties to rethink their basic assumptions about
education.
Lowthion, herself a teacher, will say that the recent
education cuts are the result of decades of change in the basic
ideals behind the system. She will argue that a focus on league
tables and exams has turned education into a commodity to be
bought and sold.
She will say that only by reimagining what education is for
and prioritising fun, explorative schooling can political parties
restore pride in teaching and re-establish the value of education
in and of itself.
Lowthion will also say that the recent controversy
surrounding the diversity of Oxford and Cambridge Universities is
a sign that the current system is that “an education system
driven towards results is still only delivering those results to
a small number, to the 1%.”
Lowthion will share her platform with Labour’s and the Liberal Democrat
leader . In her speech she is expected
to say:
“Successive governments have made my job very very hard.
They’ve made me question daily why I chose this as a
career.
“The problem is the motivation behind the reforms being
made. They are not, let’s be clear, about improving the
experience of anyone in the education system. They are about
arbitrary targets, competition, tables - about making politicians
feel better about themselves.
“We must reimagine what education is for. I want education
to be inspiring. I want it to be liberating, exciting, and fun.
That means bringing an end to SATs, to Ofsted, and to league
tables. It means rolling out wellbeing lessons across the
country, guaranteeing green spaces for schools, and starting
formal education at age 7 - creating more space for play and
exploration in our most formative years.”
ENDS
press@greenparty.org.uk
/ 020 3691 9401
Notes
[1] https://www.facebook.com/events/496191860758379
[2] For more information cuts in education: https://schoolcuts.org.uk/#!/
