Financial News
- 2 May 2012, 2:43
MPs Call For Bad Teachers To Be Paid Less
Bad teachers could be paid less under new Government proposals aimed at driving up standards in state education.
The Education Select Committee insists a new results-based system is needed so poor teachers are not paid the same as colleagues doing a better job.
"We acknowledge the potential political and practical difficulties in introducing such a system, but the comparative impact of an outstanding teacher is so great that we believe such difficulties must be overcome," its report said.
But Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), ridiculed the idea, saying: "Payment by results is total nonsense.
"Children are not tins of beans and schools are not factory production lines. Successful schools rely on a collegiate approach and team working.
"Performance-related pay (PRP) is not only inappropriate but also divisive. Children and young people differ and class intakes differ from year to year, making it impossible to measure progress in simplistic terms.
"PRP will create even more difficulties for schools facing the most challenges because teachers will realise that they will get no thanks for teaching their students but will get more money by going elsewhere."
The committee's report into how to recruit and retain the best teachers also suggested putting pupils in charge of lessons to encourage them to enter the profession.
I also called for would-be teachers to be observed in the classroom before they are offered a training place to check their suitability for the job.
"Our evidence was clear that teacher quality cannot be fully established without observing a candidate actually teach," the report said.
The MPs backed ministers' plans to toughen up literacy and numeracy tests taken by trainee teachers but expressed caution over the introduction of a test of candidates' personal skills.
They welcomed the idea in principle but called for the Department for Education to publish details of what the test might include and keep it under close review.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "Nothing is more important for raising standards in our schools than ensuring that we have more great teachers.
"Although the quality of our teachers is very high, many top graduates who could make a huge difference to children's education are choosing other professions.
"This report supports the Government's strategy for teacher recruitment as being appropriately focused on attracting top graduates into the profession and giving them outstanding training."
what do you think?
Richard Gould
I think that they need to be looking at the subject content, overall teaching techniques, elimination of the liberal mindedness and removing ridiculous subjects from the syllabus before they start blaming individual teachers.
David Wragg
Can bad MPs be paid less than their more active colleagues?
Dorrien Phillips
I'm sorry..but if you are a bad teacher..then you should be sacked..not paid less...
Scott White
But MPs are quite happy to pay themselves more. Pay bad MPs less, that should save the country a few million quid a year and send MPs into the real world
West Middlesex MCC
Think this would be better if it read "Bad MP's to be paid less" think the over all saving to the tax payer would be a lot higher..
Fleur Black
Stupid idea. How can one separate the good from the bad? Because they have cloven hooves or chew their cud? The problem is not bad teachers but bad pupils - that is those whose parents let them stay up too late watching rubbish telly, let them sleep late and send them to school without breakfast, etc etc. make parents take a little responsibility.
steve wilson
They should look at their own salaries first. They can't judge on bad performance when they are so useless themselves. At least teachers bad or otherwise actually do something for their money.
Ian Stephenson
The goverment should do the same to underachieving MPs and penalise for every election promise broken!
John Byrne
You can see the discussion in the faculty hall already, with all the teachers refusing to teach some classes. Why not offer the best teachers incentives to teach the poorest performing children? All major changes to education in recent years have done nothing to encourage schools to help those in most need. yes some parents are failing their children, but the system should not be as well.
Russell Beaumont
Bad teachers should not be paid less they should not be paid at all.Since the 1960,'s they have blighted the lives of school children.These Marxists who have infiltrated the education system have no interest in education only wrecking whats left of a decent society,No wonder positions of power are held by the top 2% of privately educated elite. Have you ever heard of a banker who cant read or write?Whats more the selection of teachers are controled by the same calibre of those who should be driven out perpetuating a system only fit for those kids who will spend their lives on benefits
Ian Gerrard
Will this mean that bad MP's will get less pay as well?
John Mechelen
Great idea,and what about bad MPs,theres a lot of them.
jonny english
PRP for politicians
Charles Rickards
In any private sector job, someone who does not perform to an acceptable standard does not keep their job! So why should it be otherwise in the public sector? There are many great teachers, who do a brilliant job with our children.
Andy Cane
Yes great idea....and we want MPs who have claimed money for dove cotts and moat clearing to be done for fraud and to pay the money back.We also want MPs and civil servats who do there job wrong to be paid a lot less and to take resposibility e.g. Over priced air craft carriers, Olympic budget that went from £3bn to £9bn, sending the Army to Afghanistan and Iraq in the wrong vehicles and bad equpment, we want these MPs and civil servants to be poinetd out and paid less. I think the idea is sort out your own house first and the when you are perfect start on other people. The union are never going to approve this one its a stupid idea which isnt going to work its just another headline grabber.
Michael Craw
I know ----- Lets pay bad MP's LESS as well that should save us a few bob!!!!!!!!!!
Peejous
Where on Earth do they think up these ridiculous ideas?!
Bernard Petrie
How silly? What happens to those who have only bad teachers, are they supposed to be happy with a second rate education? Its bad enough that public school pupils get a far better education that the state, because of cash, lets not make the system worse. If we have bad teachers then we have to ask "Why?" One assumes they are examined for effectiveness and helped and developed to be more effective in the areas they are weak? One of our main problems in state education seems to be pupil to teacher ratios are to high. But training and employing more teachers is costly, is that the reason, somebody feels we want a bonus system?
Dave Marshall
An obvious thought, perhaps, but why are bad politicians (ie. ALL OF THEM) paid anything at all ... and why do they get a taxpayer-funded non-contributary final-salary pension when everybody else in the country is denied anything even approaching that? Wouldn't it be nice if these self-interested greedy wastes of DNA actually led BY EXAMPLE occasionally ... or even cared about the best interests of the general population instead of just their own!
Windows Live User
4:46am on 1/5/2012
I want Bad MP's to be paid less too