10 October 2004 Blog Home : October 2004 : Permalink
A retiring head teacher from a top private school in England has been told that he is not allowed to be a "qualified teacher" in the state school system. Despite having spent over 20 years teaching Maths, a subject which has a teacher shortage, it seems that he needs to take a one-year course to obtain a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education in order to be permitted to register as a qualified teacher.
The best line, however is this one from Carol Adams, the chief executive of the General Teaching Council:
"As we explained to him, however, we cannot confer qualified teacher status on him. We are not being bureaucratic, we just don't have the power to issue it unless it has has been through the process."
The line is not just wrong it is almost hilariously wong. Indeed you are being bureaucratic and mindlessly so and the excuse trotted out - namely
"We did have a scheme where someone with the standing of Mr Jones-Parry could be assessed by a head teacher in a matter of weeks," she said. "Unfortunately the funding ran out and the scheme was abandoned."
is a classic example of bureaucratic empire building at work. You see a program that needs a couple of people to look at the CVs of volunteer teachers is never going to get as much funding, prestige or underlings for the manager as a program that approves Post-Graduate Certificates in Education which need forms to be developed, institutions to be vetted etc. etc.
(Hat tip: Samzdata)