The National Union of Teachers’ annual conference passed a motion condemning the Department for Education’s attempts to record pupils’ nationality and country of birth in the national pupil database (NPD), with delegates told that the details could be passed to the Home Office and police.
“The problem with this information is that it will be used to reinforce racist immigration controls. It can lead to raids and deportations. So we need to shout from the rooftops that parents should not comply with this. They don’t have to do it,” Jan Nielsen, a teacher from Wandsworth in south-west London, told delegates.
Excellent idea! Let's teach parents how to not comply with government.
What could go wrong?
Des Barrow, a teacher from Hackney, said...
“This is shocking, this should not be happening. There’s no educational worth whatsoever in collecting this data.”
What's the 'educational worth' of
recording all pupils' BMI score, Des, ol' chum?
Elsewhere in the conference teachers spoke of incidents of racism they encountered.
Oh, this'll be good! What'll it be, burning crosses in the playground? 'Go home Sambo!' graffiti on the break room door?
Sharon John, a black primary school teacher, recalled a job interview where a school governor told her: “We could really do with a gospel choir.”
“I smiled, I didn’t say anything but I racked my brains to think: was that part of my training?” she told delegates.
Errr...
Niparun Nessa, a teacher from Oldham, said she had regularly been confused with the only other Asian member of staff at a school she had worked. “Everyone assumed we were the same person – both children and staff,” she said.
/facepalm
The conference also passed a motion calling for a strike ballot of members “if no progress is made in talks with the government” over restoring the value of teachers’ salaries to 2010 levels.
Yes, the people who weep and wail over you
taking your child out of school in term time are happy to shut down if they don't get more cash.
Similarly: if one day's education is so valuable... how many polling stations are still in schools, which will no doubt be closed on June 8th due to the "ongoing paedogeddon" perception?
ReplyDeleteThe Asian women are causing confusion because they'e a pair 'n annuses.
ReplyDeleteOne wonders if the Asian women are both covered up to the eyeballs...
ReplyDeleteThe NUT are currently cock-a-hoop after a successful campaign to merge the NUT with the ATL, once a proudly non-striking union, means they will soon be part of a 400,000 strong teaching union - at least as far as their calculations are concerned.
ReplyDeleteSince union membership for many teachers is akin to belonging to the AA - paid up once a year to insure against expensive legal wrangles, then forgotten unless an emergency happens - the high-profile conference stuff is generally left in the hands of a vocal minority. There are plenty of teachers out there who profoundly disagree with striking; many of then joined the ATL rather than the NUT for that very reason.
Only 23% of ATL members voted in the ballot (73% of whom voted in favour of the merger), despite fervid personalised e-mails from the General Secretary urging them to vote 'Yes' to her enhanced fiefdom - oops! sorry - 'greater influence in the workplace'; it will be interesting to see whether there will be an exodus in September when membership is transferred to the new amalgamated union.
"The NUT are currently cock-a-hoop after a successful campaign to merge the NUT with the ATL, once a proudly non-striking union..."
ReplyDeleteLet's hope one of May's first tasks after her GE win will be to begin dismantling union power bases.