Press Release
Diplomas
6 June 2008
Commenting on the CEER report The Diploma: A Disaster Waiting To Happen?, Christine Blower, Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said;
“In his attack on diplomas, Alan Smithers has betrayed his deep pessimism about young people’s futures. He clearly believes that young people are sorted in to the ‘sheep and goats’ of academic and vocational routes very early on.
“Yet there is no evidence that this is the case. His argument for depositing diplomas into the vocational box is a policy which will hardly encourage young people to value life-long education.
“He has also magnificently missed the point. Teachers support diplomas but they are deeply concerned about the operational implications of their introduction. The first year of the diplomas should be seen as a pilot in which lessons are learnt, not as a fixed roll-out.
“It is resources and time which teachers need for the diplomas, not inaccurate criticism of their value.”
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