ESC in danger of dereliction of duty and breach of trust

The current Education Law dates back to the 1970s and is entirely unfit for the modern world. The Mulkerrin report identified reforming said law to allow local governance as being of prime importance to raising the poor grades that have become the accepted norm for our secondary schools. It is at least disingenuous to tell the public that this is not an urgent work stream and that the pressures, financial and otherwise caused by the current pandemic, should squeeze it out of contention. It beggars belief that you and I are being asked to benchmark whatever new models are to be championed against the current dog’s breakfast, and in the context of a law that is woefully outdated and inadequate.

We need to frame any future education models within a legal framework that can hold our committees and schools to account, to take an ambitious approach to educating the majority of our children. The farcical roundabout of education reforms of the last decade or so has only widened disparities within what should be a progressive island; anybody who can afford it, (and many that can’t), is now sending their children to private school as the only guarantee of an acceptable outcome. Whilst I am happy for the private schools who are seeing unprecedented demand, I am dismayed to see the ebb of talented teachers from our state schools and the worsening of perceived class distinctions in Guernsey.

Although a PR disaster, the previous ESC’s model proposed much to address concerns of inequality and to enrich the educational experience of our children, thousands of hours and millions of pounds are invested in it. Although I don’t expect it to be resurrected it is vital that what proposes to replace it is held up to it, particularly as this was dressed up as a review process, not a ‘back to the drawing board’ process.

Similarly, to disregard the findings of the Mulkerrin report would be squanderous and arrogant in equal measure.

Given what has been invested to get to this stage and the comparatively minor sums to bring in a law that is already written; likewise to publish a report that is all but written, is the only responsible course of action. To ‘clear the decks’ on the pretence of saving the taxpayer money, but in reality to make the current committee’s job a bit easier, allowing it to carry on down the historical road of secondary school failure without accountability, would be a dereliction of duty and a breach of trust.

Politicians, please do not fail another generation.

NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD