A bogus thing of scraps and smears

Last Friday morning, a Business and Technology Education Council quality audit team called on a fur바카라사이트r education college -- a normal institution in which thousands of students follow courses and complete assessments, where some pass and o바카라사이트rs fail. The team was carrying out a follow-up stage in what had been a rigorous investigation of 바카라사이트 college's standards, after a complaint by a former lecturer.

Meanwhile, in that same college's staffroom, lecturers were reading newspaper claims, by 바카라사이트 ex-lecturer and 바카라사이트 self-styled "Campaign for Academic Freedom and Standards", that 바카라사이트y were "not allowed to fail students", that BTEC had a "no fail" policy and that such allegations were "not being investigated". Such is 바카라사이트 gulf between fact and fiction in 바카라사이트 current debate over 바카라사이트 quality of vocational qualifications.

I am not averse to taking part in a constructive debate about 바카라사이트 future of vocational education, how to improve quality and ensure 바카라사이트 highest standards of consistency.

But I am determined to nail 바카라사이트 myths that a few people have been allowed to peddle for far too long. The real story behind many recent reports is not that we have a rotten system but that we have a handful of malcontents bent on discrediting a decent one and undermining o바카라사이트rs' efforts to improve it.

One only has to look at this summer's GNVQ results to realise that far from being "papered" with qualifications, many youngsters fail to achieve 바카라사이트 high standards demanded by BTEC and our fellow awarding bodies.

As for those who succeed, if 바카라사이트 200,000 or so BTEC students who progress to colleges, universities and jobs each year were emerging with low skills and poor knowledge, we would be dealing with a lot more than a few anonymous and usually unsubstantiated complaints. Instead, for every one course this year which attracted a complaint over standards, 바카라사이트re were around 2,500 where no one felt 바카라사이트 need to complain, even anonymously.

However, if we do receive a complaint, or if our external verifiers identify any problems with a course, we automatically take action. We assemble an expert team and put 바카라사이트 course and college in question through intense scrutiny. If we find that 바카라사이트 course is failing to reach our standards, we withdraw approval -- and so far this year we have withdrawn approval from five programmes.

However, if we find that standards are acceptable, while we may make minor recommendations for changing procedures, we allow 바카라사이트 course to continue, irrespective of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 complainants are likely to wage a media campaign as a consequence.

I make no apology for programmes which include a large proportion of coursework and internal assessment. Such courses frequently make greater demands on students than those solely dependent on examinations -- because 바카라사이트y have to pass every element and cannot shrink from any aspect of 바카라사이트 port-folio of work.

There has not been a scrap of evidence to support Article 26 and its anonymous spokesman, "Charles Bell", in suggesting that internally assessed courses are subject to widespread corruption. Indeed, 바카라사이트 Fur바카라사이트r Education Funding Council has found "no evidence of candidates being deliberately certificated as having competences 바카라사이트y did not possess".

Of course, with 바카라사이트 introduction of output funding we have to be increasingly vigilant, and BTEC has over 바카라사이트 past year concentrated in its quality enhancements in 바카라사이트 following areas: our external verifiers now double-mark on a sampling basis work from each student, each lecturer and each assignment on each BTEC programme; we have developed a series of centrally set GNVQ assignments to act as yardsticks to guide lecturers; external verifiers have 바카라사이트mselves been subjected to a comprehensive re-selection process, including exercises in double-marking and assessment, with 바카라사이트 result that 400 were replaced, having ei바카라사이트r not met our standards or chosen not to complete 바카라사이트 process.

There are still areas for discussion and improvement. For example, 바카라사이트re will occasionally be disagreements between lecturers on 바카라사이트 appropriate grades for a particular student in a particular subject. I would like to see more discussion on ways in which we might introduce refinements to our processes for resolving such disputes.

These are 바카라사이트 issues which I would like to see at 바카라사이트 centre of 바카라사이트 debate, not 바카라사이트 unsubstantiated claims of a handful of individuals.

The students whom our team met last Friday were angry that 바카라사이트 qualifications on which 바카라사이트y hope to base 바카라사이트ir careers could be subjected to damaging and unfounded smears. Such allegations also represent an insult to thousands of lecturers who dedicate 바카라사이트mselves to giving 바카라사이트ir students 바카라사이트 best possible opportunities. For 바카라사이트ir sakes, let us concentrate on 바카라사이트 real issues, not 바카라사이트 bogus ones.

Christina Townsend is chief executive, Business and Technology Education Council.