By Gavin Mackintosh-
Shadow education secretary Kate Green(pictured) has accused her counterpart Gavin Williamson of “chronic incompetence”, suggesting he sows “chaos and confusion” wherever he goes.
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Ms Green lambasted the education secretary for yet another U-turn, which saw primary schools close one day after they opened for the start of term.
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Ms Green criticised Mr.Williamson’s U turns in his department’s decision to close all schools, after “It was disappointing (Gavin Williamson) did not make a new year’s resolution to avoid U-turns or chronic incompetence.
“Once again where the Secretary of State goes, chaos and confusion follows and it’s children, families and education staff across the country who pay the price for his incompetence.”
The Labour MP also said that the government had treated young people as an “afterthought” throughout the pandemic.
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Legal Action
Mr.Williamson had threatened legal action against schools that refused to open after the Christmas period, insisting that the education of children was too important to jeopardise because of the pandemic. The danger posed to children was not significant, the Secretary Of Education said.
This publication supported his stance at the time, although not all members of The Eye Of Media did. Some thought that if the virus was truly spreading through both adults and children, schools should be shut. But the overriding position of this publication was that the total views of the most senior members of the organisation would be our official position.
U Turn
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Monday announced that all schools would have to be shut until at least mid February. The announcement came after the Secretary Of Education, Gavin Williamson, had insisted on pupils returning to schools. Mr. Williamson’s position was based on publish scientific advice that the risk to children was minimal.
On the other hands, news that many children been infected by the virus, leading to a number of self -isolation and school closures, got many school heads and teacher unions worried.
Circulating news later suggested that although the plan is for schools to open soon, and for things to normalise, normalisations would depend on a number of caveats, including the R rate going down, and people sticking to the rules. If those caveats are not met, the interpretation is that strict restrictions will continue.
Return
It is believed that many schools may not be allowed back for months if the rate of Covid-19 spread doesn’t go down significantly. Only children of key workers at the moment are allowed back in schools. All education has been moved to remote learning, and the British government has promised to deliver laptops to thousands of disadvantaged pupils who need them.
Concern
There is still concern that there will be many children who won’t benefit from the mass provisions of laptops, unless schools offer the technological devices to families. Up until the second national lockdown, families had to make the application for these equipments, and not all families had the competence to even make those formal requests.
Families cannot have an excuse if they don’t at least verbally make requests for laptops for their children, if they need them, and will use them to further their education. There still remains the issue of making sure the laptops are used by children to mainly further their education.
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