Reforms of teacher training will bring mass shortages, report finds

[oldironside]

"Thousands of trainee teachers in subjects suffering a shortage would be barred from the profession under government plans aimed at improving standards in the classroom.

Education Secretary Michael Gove is planning to remove government funding to train as a teacher for anyone with less than a 2:2 degree pass.

A report out today shows that one in three modern language teachers would no longer receive funding for their training as a result of the reforms.



Many people famous in their chosen fields would have been barred from teaching under Michael Gove's proposals. Carol Vorderman is probably the best-known example of someone who would have failed to clear the new entrance bar.

The former Countdown presenter gained only a third-class degree in engineering at Cambridge university. Nevertheless she has a post as the Conservative Party's "maths guru" and last week produced a report recommending that everyone should study the subject up to the age of 18."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/reforms-of-teacher-training-will-bring-mass-shortages-report-finds-2335617.html

Aside from the shock that Carol Vordermann only got a third, there seems to be a blind belief in the Tory party that only academically 'clever' people are capable of being good teachers. In reality there is a lot more to it than that, and this sort of blind dogmatism will only cut the numbers of potential teachers when there is already a shortage.
(Just for the record, I got a 2:1)