Guernsey Press

Is democracy alive and well in Guernsey?

THIS is a real question which deserves an answer. Speaking with a young female teacher the other day, I was appalled to learn that she and all her colleagues in the States of Guernsey secondary school had been gagged. They have been told by someone in authority that they must not speak to the Press, radio, write to the newspaper or in any way publicly talk of the proposed lunacy called one school, two sites. How can a government department demand this and still talk of freedom of speech – or democracy? These people are civil servants, but by what right have we to tell them they have lost their democratic rights merely because they earn their salary by working for the States?

Published

Asked about the literacy problem spoken of in the Press, she told me that the problem was in the primary sector and also a problem of lack of discipline. If you deny teachers any tools to discipline children, how can they teach the ones that want to learn? Disruptive children can’t be excluded, can’t be sent home, can’t be kept in after school, and obviously can’t be physically punished. How do you instil respect? These children have little self-respect, so how can they respect their teachers? These are big questions and I haven’t any answers, but I do believe that the current Education Committee have lost the plot.

It isn’t new buildings we need – that’s just moving the problem to another location. We need a root and branch re-think and instead of gagging our teachers, ask them for their ideas and then listen.

ROSIE HENDERSON

Ma Carriere,

Le Petit Bouet,

St Peter Port,

GY1 2AN.

Editor’s footnote: the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture replies:

Teachers – who incidentally are not civil servants – can express their views freely, including to the media. Teachers have been reassured about this multiple times over many years by successive committees and senior officers on behalf of the employer, the States of Guernsey.

There are many factors which influence standards of literacy. Your correspondent’s analysis that it is all down to discipline in the classroom is neither credible nor useful.

The committee is strongly committed to supporting teachers to help their students develop the highest possible levels of literacy.