Every now and again I am jolted into the realisation of how naive I can sometimes be. Reading Hansard has this effect on me daily, as I see something that not only compels me to write, but boggles me briefly at the bizarreness of Parliamentary answer. For example, yesterday the Schools Minister, Jim Knight, said the DfES doesn't know how many schools have libraries.
Now, forgive me naivety, but I was under the impression that "reading" was a fundamental core feature of the Government's education policy? Shouldn't all schools - after ten years of being told how brilliant the Government's education policies have been - have libraries? Even if it's just a cupboard with a few book shelves full?
4 comments:
Yep, You would have thought so wouldn't you. The answer should have been all of them!
(To be fair it may well be all of them, but they should know.)
The answer should be all of them but this time I have sympathy.
If asked ALL schools would say yes (except those asking for money to provide one) even if all they had was 'a cupboard with a few book shelves'
Every school should have a library, sports fields, competitive sports, after school activities..........
But then that would beg the questions a) what constitutes a library... and b) whether the school was comprehensive, private, public, independent, faith based or a.n.other. and c) with many schools being independent of the local education authority (and thus can do as they please, answer as they please, ignore as they please), would any figures which came forward give a true and accurate picture of the issue.
Ask more questions Dizzy, you'll find out more than you bargained for...
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