Commenting on the Labour Party's pledge to recruit 6,500
teachers, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the
National Education Union, said:
"An incoming Government will inherit an urgent and escalating
teacher recruitment and retention crisis. This matters for every
child and family.
"Over the past 14 years a combination of national decisions has
resulted in insufficient graduates choosing teaching as a
profession and teachers leaving in droves.
"6,500 additional teachers would be a welcome commitment, are
desperately needed and would contribute to better life chances.
This would need to be hand in hand with restoring the value of
teachers' pay and attractive pay levels across the stages in a
teaching career and a different approach on education
policy.
"There isn't a simple fix to correct the scale of neglect the
education system has endured under this Government. However,
investing in a high quality and experienced teaching profession,
where expertise is retained, is excellent value for money and
links directly to good outcomes and success for students.
"The NEU is calling for an independent commission, in the spirit
of the Houghton committee of 1974. Only something that
transformational will address the many problems and reverse
the downward spiral our education system is enduring.
“The NEU has made it clear that we will challenge any schools in
the independent sector using Labour's policy to try and take
teachers out of the Teachers' Pension Scheme. Pensions are
deferred earnings, and we will robustly defend our members terms
and conditions.”
