Let ESC get on with the job it was given and concentrate on helping to solve the problems

The NEU’s advice, which is excellent for good teachers, is already proving a defence for the incompetent in the UK.

In March 2016, following years of debate and political pressure, not least from many teachers, the States voted to change local education to a comprehensive system, decades after the UK learnt that it was not a panacea for poor educational standards and that such a system could not, of itself, cure the deficiencies in the nation’s education.

Understandably, the decision to make this change upset many islanders, particularly those who appreciated the benefits their offspring were getting at our Grammar School. Nevertheless, most of those not liking the decision, me included, philosophically accepted that not always getting our own way is one of the prices we pay for democracy and, anyway, losing is a lesson mature adults learnt years ago.

Obviously, some deputies had not learnt. Rather than accept the decision and move on, applying their efforts to ensuring that the new system would be beneficial to all students, they took the debate onto the streets, enlisting the support of some teachers, many of whom had clamoured for the change in the first place.

By enlisting support from such teachers, they have now persuaded the States to review the decisions it had already made regarding the future structure of our educational system.

Education is one of the sacred cows which consumes much of political discourse, energy and taxes. It is one of the great issues which divide our society, therefore it should be subject to reasonable debate regardless of teachers’ sensitivities – true teachers will not be offended.

Teachers have demanded that their union representatives should have a seat at any discussions the States have on this subject. If this is being done, representatives of trade and industry should be included as well. The States needs to remember that the NEU’s raison d’etre is the protection of the interests of teachers and other workers in the education sector. The only students they represent are student teachers. If readers dispute this statement, I refer them to the NEU’s Rules. The States’ duty is to protect all students and, incidentally, all parents and taxpayers. This duty may well differ from the interests of teachers.

Much political ideology is based on the theory that it is class which creates all the unfairness in society and that utopia can be reached by destroying what is perceived to be elitist education, which is associated with the ruling class. Ironically, many who enjoy the luxuries of a ‘middle class’ existence define ‘the ruling class’ as those with yet more money or material assets than they have.

Education should not be used as a political tool. The real focus should be on whether it is good, bad or indifferent – too frequently it is indifferent or bad. Class is not the real barrier to young people’s progress. It is education; more specifically, the lack of it. This is why I value good teachers so highly. Arguably, they are the most valuable assets of any society.

Many students do not realise how important education is. However, a spell in the forces made me realise what an impediment poor education is. I did not blame others, that is not my family’s way, so set about trying to educate myself. In the course of doing so, I realised that many of my educational deficiencies had been compounded by poor teaching.

Many readers can think of their favourite subjects and realise that their interest was first kindled by a good teacher. Conversely, they will realise that the dislike they still have of some subjects arose in the same way. The fact is that many teachers cannot teach effectively. The reasons for this are diverse, e.g. lack of knowledge of their subject, inability to communicate with young people or, worst of all, no real interest in passing on knowledge. This last type of teacher works to gain a pay packet but gains little job satisfaction.

No one tried to teach me the most important fact that I should have been taught: it is impossible to educate children properly in the limited time they spend at school. All any teacher can teach is the rudiments of any subject. However, true teachers also inspire an interest in their subject and lever this up by teaching children how to teach themselves.

In spite of the years that have passed since my school days, little has changed. I know that such a statement is blasphemous to many but, to any objective observer, it is, regrettably, a fact.

Now, a serious attempt is being made, by sincere people, to cure some of the problems within our educational system, yet we see the cohesiveness of our island community torn apart by people who believe that, whatever the disruption to students’ lives and whatever burden is placed upon the taxpayer, they must fight to the bitter end for their particular view of which is the correct road to travel. The fact is that, from their trenches, our deputies have been arguing for years, over the heads of generations of students, about systems of education which both have deficiencies and are both outdated.

One evolved in the 19th century and the other in the 20th.

We are now in the 21st but the educational establishment has not noticed. As most of its members have never left school, it has little understanding of life in the real world. It continues to use outdated methods and its workforce includes many who are not up to the task. I have known many good teachers who know of incompetent colleagues but peer pressure inhibits their willingness to acknowledge it.

Perhaps the changes envisaged by those struggling to improve our educational system, in the face of reactionary opposition, may allow the good teachers, smothered by the present system, to eradicate the deplorable standard of English being inflicted in some Guernsey schools, right from junior level.

Perhaps the new system will allow all young islanders the opportunity to study an additional language, such as Spanish or Mandarin; both spoken by many more people than can speak French.

Yet we have seen teachers taking to the streets to protest now the penny has dropped. They have finally realised the inevitable: changes many of them demanded will affect the status of some of them and will require many to adapt their complacent ways of earning their bread. What is worse, some of them may lose their privileged parking spaces.

Why is it that those given care for education of the young always resist change so much? This is the reason why modernisation of the education system is constantly shirked by politicians. The few that have had the courage to try usually find themselves driven out of office by those the system protects.

As I have said before, shame on those who have condoned the invective poured upon those deputies, one in particular, who are trying to do the job delegated to them by the public’s elected representatives. It will be to the shame of the electorate if, at the next election, it heeds the howl of the mob.

We are now in the ludicrous situation where a number of deputies have halted educational reform in Guernsey in spite of the harm such delay will cause many students. Furthermore, it will waste considerable sums of taxpayers’ money already incurred to get the new system operational.

Whatever our original wishes, is it not time to get on with it and put the past aside? Let ESC get on with the job it was given and concentrate on helping to solve the problems any change will inevitably create.

Remember that now is the worst possible time to squander more of the island’s resources on ideological battles, as we burden our descendants with huge sums of debt.

MICHAEL WARD

Torteval,

GY8 0PW.