Weekly Update 20/07/2010
Posted by Jacob Rees-Mogg, MP for North East Somerset, at 10:36, Tue 20 July 2010:
This week the House of Commons has debated Michael Gove’s Academies Bill. It is potentially the most important measure that the Coalition will introduce. It could open up opportunities for the least fortunate by raising education standards across the country.
A good education has always been the best route out of poverty, yet currently fewer children on free school meals get places at Oxford or Cambridge than from Eton. As in one year there are 80,000 children on free school meals and 250 at Eton it is an extraordinary statistic.
How will academies help? They will give more power to individual schools to determine their own objectives. There will be less reporting to officials and increased freedom to determine the curriculum. More power also takes with it more responsibility so head-teachers will be accountable to parents rather than to government. Successful schools will be able to expand but will also be under an obligation to help ailing schools.
As an investor in emerging markets I have seen countries like South Korea prosper because of their focus on education. Parents take pride in their children’s achievements seeing it as a route to a better life. Canvassing in Britain in rich and poor areas alike I have always found that parents’ greatest concern is for their children. Michael Gove’s bill will allow them to get the best and the whole country will reap the reward.
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