Teachers' Union calls for delay

Tuesday 03 September 2019

A national teachers' union, which has previously called for an end to uncertainty over the future of Bailiwick education, has now thrown its support behind a sursis over concerns that teachers' views have not been heard.

NASUWT is supporting a bid by Deputies Andrea Dudley-Owen and Rob Prow to secure a postponement of the debate scheduled for Wednesday on the reorganisation of secondary education.

Their sursis asks Education to produce more detailed comparisons with alternative education models specific to Guernsey so that the States can have a fully-informed debate in November. 

In the last few days, the Scrutiny Management Committee has also called out Education for not providing enough information for a proper, evidence-led debate. 

Pictured: Deputies Barry Paint, Andrea Dudley-Owen, Rob Prow and Carl Meerveld are all involved in sursis attempts. 

Now NASUWT's Acting General Secretary Chris Keates has made clear the need to come to the right decision - something that she feels cannot be achieved with the information currently available. 

“When the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture published its Policy Letter on Transforming Education in July, the NASUWT voiced its concerns around the lack of opportunity for the Union to consult with its members," she said. "The letter was released with only two weeks of the school term remaining, meaning that the holiday period and planned timing of the debate has impacted severely on the NASUWT’s ability to meaningfully consult with members.

“During the summer the NASUWT has monitored the developing situation, particularly in relation to the various amendments and sursis propositions being put forward.

“Although the NASUWT has long standing concerns around the sheer length of time the process is taking and the uncertainty that accompanies this, the NASUWT believes that, at this stage, it is of critical importance that the right decisions are made and the voice of teachers is heard.

“The NASUWT therefore believes a short delay to the debate as proposed by the Deputies would allow for all amendments to be fully explored and for the Union to conduct a full consultation with its members.

“We remain concerned about the anxiety and uncertainty faced by teachers, pupils and parents. However, given the importance of this decision it is critical to ensure that Assembly members are able to make an informed decision on these important plans.”

Pictured top: Chris Keates (Credit: TES News).