Diana Enyenihi
Rishi Sunak has pledged to widen the variety of academic and technical subject choices for 16–18-year-olds through a new Advanced British Standard Qualification, which will involve a form of compulsory Maths and English for all.
The Prime Minister envisions educational reform as the key to moving the country into a better direction, believing that this new qualification, combining A-levels and T-levels, will provide school leavers with more flexibility over their future career options.
Unions have criticised the plan as a “misdirected fantasy”
The vision has been backed by an initial £600m funding, in place to resolve any teaching shortages or retention issues.
However, due to concerns that already worrying teacher shortages will be worsened by these plans, teaching Unions have criticised the plan as a “misdirected fantasy”, also arguing that ensuring students have basic maths and literacy skills by the age of 16, is a more pressing issue.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union has accused Sunak of being “out of touch” with the education system and profession.
Sunak also has other plans to reform University study, by clamping down on “rip off degrees”, that he feels do not do anything for students’ futures.
While these reforms to A-Levels are said to take “about ten years“, in the meantime, it is unclear exactly how the plan will be executed, amidst the teaching recruitment deficit.
It remains to be seen how teachers and students themselves will receive this new policy announcement.
Diana Enyenihi
Featured image courtesy of Anoushka Puri via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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