Let’s just get the one-school model done

The one-school (two colleges and the Guernsey Institute) model is truly a progressive and a most cost-effective way of delivering a quality education to our children and young adults. I am appalled by the way a small minority of deputies would try to drag us back to the outdated and expensive three- or even four-school model which relied so heavily on the Guernsey taxpayer. The vastly reduced running costs of the one-school model will enable us to plough some of the savings back into the new system. This should enable us to create a gold-plated model of education that would even challenge the notion that a private education is somehow better than a Guernsey States education.

I am appalled by those populist deputies who think that by promoting going back to the old system it will somehow be a ‘vote winner’. I believe that we, the Guernsey public, would be wise to vote for progressive, positive candidates in the upcoming 2020 island-wide elections who will support the new model. Do we really want to elect candidates who are not going to put their shoulders to the wheel and make our States education system shine as a beacon of success to the UK and beyond?

I certainly know of at least one pro-one-school candidate that I shall be voting for in the 2020 elections. He has extensive knowledge of the education system, has local residency, is an ex-British soldier, a Yorkshireman who has a Guernsey heart… So let’s not waste the time, energy and money we have already spent on this new, ambitious plan for our future education system. ‘Let’s just get the one-school model done’ or, if you prefer, ‘Let’s remain with the one-school model and just get it done’.

JOHN SEMENOWICZ

St Sampson’s parishioner.