Anyone who thinks that the UK was not prioritizing education ought to think again. We have seen moves from the government in two directions, on the one hand they are willing to push education forward and on the other hand it could easily be argued that they are suffocating the growth of education in this country.
A Government ‘For’ Education
Let us look firstly on what the government is doing to push education forward. Are they doing anything, one might ask? Well, if you were a member of the current government, you would surely be pointing to the new academies scheme along with other innovative ideas such as parents and community led schools. The new academies scheme has continued to grow in popularity, with some reports claiming that over 2/3rd of schools are applying to become academies. Academies are specialist schools, for example the West London Academy that has state of the art facilities, which include a brand new sports hall, gymnasium, and cycle cafe along with other modern amenities. There is no doubt that this investment was needed and like many other academies throughout the country the facilities are much better and this is sure to have a positive effect on the pupils who study in such a modern learning environment that is conductive to their growth and development.
It is far too early to say too much about parent-led schools as this is a new development in the UK. As far as we can see, some parents are deeply excited about the prospects of being more involved in their child’s education. It runs on the notion that parents know their children more than anyone else, therefore they are most ideally suited to play a key role in determining the way that they should learn. But, not all parents are knowledgeable about the UK’s education system and there is a real risk that some parents may well battle for power amongst themselves, which will have a devastating effect on the management and organisation of the school, if such battles and squabbles occur.
A Government ‘Against’ Education
HE Funding Cuts
As for the suffocating effect that seems to indicate that this government is involve in a social experiment with the education system. Well, the funding cuts that have hit universities, resulting in the closure of several departments and now the dawning reality that universities across the country do not have sufficient places for students who are applying seem to surface as some of the most prominent evidence that this government has failed to live up to their expectation. At a time when the government is calling for greater access to universities and are claiming that they want to increase the skills levels in the UK, we found that they are forming policies that are hitting the very places that should help to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed by the economy (universities).
Delivering a Low Blow to International Students
Secondly, the government has made it much harder for international students to come to the UK. Now, for those of you who have not been following this story, universities are complaining that the changes in the immigration system, which has made it more stringent for international students to enter the UK, for example they must have up to 2 months living expense and must have paid their tuition fees in full. The guidelines states that the rate of living expense that the international student need to have is £800 per calendar month, hence that is £1,600 that they should have for at least the first two months, and as for the university fees, well these are simply astronomical! If an international student is coming to study the sciences, they are looking at paying anywhere between: £10-£12,000 per annum and if they are coming to study the arts, they are looking at paying £8-£10,000 per annum. In total, before they even start their course, some international students have had to pay a total of £13-£16,000 up front and this price does not even include the cost of making the applications to the Home Office new Department, the UK Borders & Immigration Agency. So, what is the attraction of coming to the UK? And if these international students choose to go elsewhere and universities in the UK miss out on this extra funding, at a time when they so desperately need it, then the government only have themselves to blame.
Lower Levels of the Education System
In the lower levels of the education system, the government has not fared much better, since although they are making it easier for schools to apply to become academies, they have scrapped much of the school rebuilding programmes, leaving many schools still in a dilapidated condition. They have also failed to provide extra investment in schools, with the most recent saga regarding the claim that they were about to stop giving pupils free milk in order to save cost- just shows the limited extent to which they hold pupils. Fortunately, they have scrapped that policy, but other policies that could have perhaps made a significant difference to pupils studying in the state educational sector, such as personal tutors who would provide extra assignment support to students who were struggling and greater investment in resources that could improve their academic performance have all been sidelined by the government as part of their ‘cost saving measures’.
In Conclusion
Considering all the above, it makes you really wonder exactly where does the government stand on education, forward in one regard and backward in the next, at least that is what we have concluded from the evidence that we have seen so far. They came to power both proclaiming that they want to create a fairer society, well now they need to walk-the-walk, as they have talked -the-talk and as the famous saying goes, actions speaks louder than words. So Cameron and Clegg, now is the time to act in the interest of the British education system and stop using it as your experimental guinea pig.
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