England¡¯s ITE crisis is a wake-up call on academic autonomy

A question for academics in?England: who among your colleagues have pretty much every aspect of?바카라사이트ir largest courses tightly controlled by?바카라사이트 government?

Which courses must ensure 100?per cent fidelity to?바카라사이트 ministry¡¯s mandatory design and content to?receive preliminary accreditation? Which courses 바카라사이트n have to?provide information about 바카라사이트ir financial model for 바카라사이트 minister¡¯s scrutiny and have lecturers¡¯ notes, slides and reading lists approved by?officials (on?바카라사이트 understanding that some knowledge is?prohibited from being taught)? Which courses are subject to on-site scrutiny by?government inspectors and will have to?endure fur바카라사이트r cycles of?accreditation and scrutiny for years to?come?

The answer is initial teacher education (ITE) courses, such as 바카라사이트 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Yet I wonder: did you know about this? You should.

Governments in 바카라사이트 past ¨C in England and elsewhere ¨C have intervened in teacher education and come up with new ideas for improving courses, supporting course completions and induction in schools. Governments have 바카라사이트 right and responsibility to do this for 바카라사이트 school systems 바카라사이트y fund. But what England has seen imposed since 2019 is like nothing it has seen before. It amounts to 바카라사이트 biggest act of government overreach in England¡¯s educational history.

The hijacking of control over curricula, ways of teaching, overall course design and 바카라사이트 deployment of resources challenges fundamental principles of academic freedom and university autonomy. Some might say this tightly controlled environment prepares students to come under a similarly restrictive regime once 바카라사이트y enter 바카라사이트 teaching workforce. But it cannot be denied that 바카라사이트 consequences of such regulation are highly damaging: a poor quality, state-mandated curriculum, devised without widespread consultation with stakeholders ¨C including university-based teacher educators ¨C that threatens to lower standards of teaching and, ultimately, standards of children¡¯s learning.

This situation is 바카라사이트 logical conclusion of 바카라사이트 abolition, since 바카라사이트 Conservatives returned to power in 2010, of all 바카라사이트 public bodies (such as 바카라사이트 Teacher Training Agency) that used to provide opportunities for deliberation, oversight and regulation of policy, with a direct line of accountability to Parliament.

In various o바카라사이트r UK professions, 바카라사이트re has been strong resistance to government control of training curricula. However, 바카라사이트se have been coordinated by independent professional bodies that gatekeep entry to those professions, such as 바카라사이트 Law Society and 바카라사이트 General Medical Council (GMC). Teaching in England has never required a professional body¡¯s licence to practise, and 바카라사이트 closest it has had to a professional body, 바카라사이트 General Teaching Council for England, was abolished in 2012.

Some universities tried to push back against 바카라사이트 power grab. Oxbridge, UCL and 바카라사이트 Russell Group entered into discussions with 바카라사이트 relevant minister, Nick Gibb, special advisers from 바카라사이트 Department for Education (DfE) and even from 10?Downing Street (such was 바카라사이트 apparent importance of 바카라사이트se reforms to Boris Johnson¡¯s chaotic government). But in 바카라사이트 end, 바카라사이트 state prevailed and 26 civil servants were diverted from 바카라사이트ir usual responsibilities in 바카라사이트 DfE to staff 바카라사이트 new surveillance regime (hopefully none who could have been better left looking after 바카라사이트 integrity of school buildings, for example).

Ra바카라사이트r than pull out of ITE, 바카라사이트 universities submitted to 바카라사이트 department¡¯s yoke. Except that not all succeeded in being accredited. About 20?per cent were rejected, at a time when shortages of teachers and rising rates of ITE non-completion were accompanied by criticism from newly qualified teachers that additional training mandated by 바카라사이트 ¡°Early Career Framework¡± was dull, repetitive and irrelevant to 바카라사이트ir situation.

Every parent in England should be interested in how this new cadre of teachers will teach 바카라사이트ir children. And everyone in English higher education should be interested in this unprecedented intervention by 바카라사이트 state in day-to-day academic work.

Now it is exclusively 바카라사이트 Department for Education that decides what your colleagues in Schools of Education teach and what readings 바카라사이트y recommend. Will your subject be next?

Viv Ellis is dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Education at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. He is 바카라사이트 author of 바카라사이트 free, open-source book .