A coalition government was formed in the United Kingdom this year, amidst a cloud of controversy. It was the first in an astonishing 65 years, and was the result of a ‘hung parliament’, which resulted in the Conservative party joining forces with the Liberal Democrats to form a government.
This decision has left many people with little faith in the voting system and fearful of the future. Although we are yet to see the full impact of the new government, we are already starting to see major changes in the education system, and are set to see a lot more. This begs the question; what does the future hold for our teachers?
Surely the teaching profession is one which should be carefully nurtured because of the impact it has on the future of the younger generation. Education is one of the most important aspects of our lives. We need a good education to develop character, gain employment and live a happy and fulfilling life. In order to achieve this we need skilled and qualified teachers. Not only this, but we need teachers who are happy and respected in their work places.
In this article I lay out some of the greatest changes the new government plans on implementing with respect to teachers:
· One of the major decisions the new government has made is to cut back public spending, including spending on recruitment of teachers, and changes to the current salary packages being offered. The idea to reward good teachers. But, the question is, can such the determination of who a good teacher is really be made fairly?
· We have seen a lot of redundancies within the education sector lately, some voluntary, some involuntary. The plan is to reduce redundancy payouts, which means teachers, as well as other public sector workers, will only be entitled to a redundancy package of one years salary.
· New teachers will also be unable to access their pension until they reach 65 years old.
· Near the top of the governments agenda is the proposal to give parents and other organisations the opportunity to set up their own schools. This may offer more freedom within schools, but it could also lead to split communities and a lack of direction. More than ever, the onus seems to be on teachers having more control within the classroom. They would have more responsibility for disciplining and reprimanding the children within their control. The fear, however, is that this puts teachers in a very vulnerable and dangerous position, and it may not be something they feel particularly comfortable in dealing with.
· The new education secretary for the Department of Education, Michael Glove, recently announced that a substantial project called ‘Building Schools for the Future’ would be completely abolished. The scheme was put in place by previous government leaders, Labour, and was set to result in a £55 billion renovation of schools throughout England. As a result, many schools will now be left with incomplete construction. We know that spending cuts have to be made in the current climate but equally important are the surroundings we use to study and teach within.
Whether the new coalition government will have any positive effects on teaching still remains to be seen, but it is certain that we are set to see many more changes within the education system. We can only hope that these changes will not have a negative knock-on effect for the future of the country.
Lyndsey McLaughlin is a content writer for Online Schools who gives advice on the pursuit of education and living a healthy life. In her free time she enjoys writing, socialising and reading.