Education secretary criticized for comments on teacher salaries
Secretary of Education Gillian Keegan has been criticized for saying teachers’ salaries are in the top 10% of income earners in some parts of the country.
face questions from teachers and parents LBC she said on Wednesday radio government He agreed to the union’s demands for more funding for the school, but was told that it was not enough and that the terms had to change.
she said:
“My cousin just started teaching and she’s £28,000. She’s 23 and lives in Knowsley (Merseyside). She has had a good career and is probably in the top 10% of earners in some parts of the country.”
But one teacher in Bromley, Kent replied:
“I know what my monthly salary will be, and I know many people who have side jobs or third jobs because they can’t earn a living.
“If you live at home and have no secondees or kids, you don’t have to put that money toward your mortgage payments. Writing down the numbers on paper doesn’t add up.”
She said she voted to strike.
Education Union NASUWT, National Education Union, National Association of Principals teacher All voting members of the strike action in England and Wales have launched a consultative vote by the Association of School and University Leaders.
Results are expected in January, and if teachers vote to strike, they’ll join paramedics, nurses, postal and railroad workers, and Border Patrol staff who are leaving this month.
Ms Keegan said: What we’re trying to do is make sure we don’t fall into inflation.
“If we can stabilize the economy, inflation will come down next year. You just get eaten up.”
She said an additional £2 billion had been allocated to schools in a fall statement, but was told by one teacher in Birmingham:
“Teachers are leaving, but compared to inflation and 12 years of austerity, it’s still not enough.”
When asked if parents of hearing-impaired children in Hackney, east London, would commit to providing more funding for special needs, Keegan said: .
“It was sent to local authorities and there were problems with enough places, so they put in an extra £2.6 billion.
“We have a problem with special educational needs. We are on the waiting list. We have a green paper coming out next year.”
Labor’s shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, called Mr Keegan’s comments “wonderfully off the mark”.
She said ministers were “clearly happy about the teacher recruitment and retention crisis that is happening in our schools.”
“Teachers are leaving the profession in droves because they are overworked and underrepresented by this Conservative government, while potential recruits are leaving our classroom careers. ‘ she said.
https://www.independent.co.uk/business/education-secretary-criticised-over-comments-on-teachers-pay-b2249285.html Education secretary criticized for comments on teacher salaries