Gove's plan to turn a large number of schools into academies has raised a lot of controversy. The privatisation of schools has many critics. Voices from outside the UK such as by the Swedish education minister Bertil Ostberg warn the local government to adopt the new academy school system. The system which has been implemented both in the USA and Sweden is said to decrease the quality of learning and, according to a report by the University of California, increase the stratification of students by race, class and even language.
Gove explains his latest actions to be the result of the countries continuous decline in the performance of the country's education over the past decade. Part of the reform includes a change in the rules on discipline in order to give teachers greater confidence. The academies shall ensure that all pupils are treated equally during the application process. Turning away from the restrictions of local authorities, the Academies Bill aims to give both schools and teachers more power and independence. The bill gives primary, secondary and special needs schools the chance to apply for academy status which will, as proposed by Gove, give the schools the freedom and flexibility they require to improve their standards.
The new school system, however, leaves parents completely out of the debate. The bill does not mention parents nor their rights at all. On the contrary: schools do not even have to consult parents before converting into academies meaning that parents who do not wish for their children to attend an academy will be forced to find a new school for their offspring. To date, more than 1,500 of the aforementioned schools have registered their interest in becoming academies opining that schools can opt out of the authority of local councils as early as September.
Instead of expanding what is possibly the most successful school model – the grammar school – Gove keeps praising the "free school" system in which not only local authorities but even parents themselves will be less actively engaged and involved in the decision-making of the academies. Therefore, many parents perceive the academy system to be a threat to local education. Once the schools have turned into academies, they become even less accountable to parents. As a matter of fact, academies are only required to have one parent governor, whereas maintained schools are required to have a minimum of three parent governors.
It is no wonder then that many parents are upset with the proposal of academies. Not only do they feel that "free schools" will deepen the split among social classes, but they also fear that their voices will remain unheard when it comes to parental involvement in school matters. Naturally wanting the best for their children, many parents are actively involved in decisions related to schools. The decrease in school governors will lead to a decrease in their authority and give the academies the incentive to act only on their own behalf and interest. Parents, therefore, fear that decrease in involvement will have a negative effect on their children's learning experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment