Month: March 2021

I think the government and many teachers have forgotten what education is for.

Being less than amazingly bright I would suggest the following. Firstly the socialisation of children into society; Secondly the development of skills necessary for the success of that society. And maybe thirdly the development of ideas that enhance that society.

At no time does education need to be about measuring the efficiency of the teachers in imparting past knowledge. With at least 20% of the jobs year 9 students will do not having been invented yet it would seem imperative that education is used to enhance society rather than reinforce nationalism and dogma.

So during the lockdown students may well have fallen behind (although some may have blossomed with access to the internet and home learning). But I am also sure that children will back at normal levels of maturation by the summer.

Williamson is prattling on about longer teaching hours and shorter terms and holidays. Well the shorter terms might work? Basically they are dictated by exam timetables so no real problem. It could even result in a longer holiday period for hospitality firms across the UK if staggered properly (yes parents with kids/jobs in different authorities will have problems – so be it). Longer teaching hours is a recipe for disaster. Moving from a 50 minute lesson 4-2, to a 60 minute 5-1 set up was an amazing difference. Unfortunately the Minister for Education is a complete bozo so we can expect all sorts of nonsense over the next couple of months.

Of course 1% is an insult, but these are hard times. A better way would have been a one off payment of £x thousand per person for those who put their lives at risk paid for by a cash grab on those who made money due to the pandemic.

Basically a bit nondescript. Bit of a people pleaser with no real innovative ideas for getting the economy rolling again. Starmer was good in reply for a change.

In relation to climate change and the environment issues this budget, like so many before it, simply ignored them.

I have probably spent the last 50 years demanding higher taxes for the rich. But that sounds jealous! So what I would now like to see is a chart showing how tax income relates to rising tax rates. I think I heard it correctly that as corporation tax was reduced, the tax income rose. If this is true, how does that apply to other taxes? We were told that raising top level taxes would have a negative impact on return (which is the reason for taxation in the first place – apart from tobacco and alcohol). But when some people have run away millions it is perhaps time to consider how they can get that amount of money in the first place.

So a budget which aims to make a more equable society would be nice!