Changing the education system

Our education system is inferior to many other countries. Children are given inferior teaching in failing schools and then they are over burdened with tests. The Liberal Democrats would like to change that.

The Liberal Democrats would replace national tests at seven and 14 which I think is a good idea. I don’t see the point in testing at 7 and 14. It doesn’t show anything but there is more reason to test pupils in their last year of primary school and secondary school. It shows how well the education is in both schools. In the last year of primary school they are about to take up a new challenge of secondary school while at the tests at secondary school decide their fate for the rest of their life.

The Swedes have also good ideas when it comes to education. I have covered that subject before but now the Swedes are going to adopt the IGCSE which is far more demanding that our own GCSE because it is internationally recognised and I believe we should do the same. Our country should be competing on the world stage and we need a better educated workforce to do this and the GCSE is increasingly seen as not worth the paper it is printed on.

Our schools minister doesn’t seem to like the IGCSE though. Jim Knight has said that "We do not agree that the IGCSE is in any way superior to the GCSE.” However as this government has an open door policy and is allowing anyone to come in and work the government should be allowing our workforce to compete on an international level like the Eastern Europeans are doing.