Michael Gove exposes the exam scam

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/t...E-results.html
Michael Gove exposes the sham of rising GCSE resultsTelegraph View: The Education Secretary deserves credit for revealing the truth behind the headline results tables.

In each of the past 23 years, the pass rate in GCSEs has risen; last year's results showed that almost seven out of 10 papers were awarded a Grade C or better. The reality behind this apparently dazzling educational success story was exposed yesterday when, for the first time, league tables were published showing attainment levels in serious subjects – the so-called English Baccalaureate core disciplines of English, maths, a science, a language and a humanity, which will in future form the nucleus of the syllabus. The tables make shocking reading. While the proportion of pupils achieving A* to C grades in five subjects including English and maths rose to 53.4 per cent, the percentage achieving those grades in the Baccalaureate subjects was just 15.6 per cent. In other words, just one pupil in six achieved decent grades in worthwhile subjects. The yawning gap between those two percentages is filled by soft subjects requiring minimal academic ability.

The results confirm what many have suspected for years – that schools have been cynically playing the system by encouraging pupils to take non-academic subjects in order to inflate their results artificially and improve the school's standing in the league tables. This is a confidence trick, and one that has betrayed generations of children. Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, who took the brave decision to publish the new data, rightly laid responsibility at the door of the last government. He said Labour's obsession with centralised target-setting had encouraged "many great schools and great heads to offer certain non-academic subjects rather than more rigorous subjects".

The consequence has been the systematic devaluation of the schools and examination systems. Employers have no worthwhile measure by which to gauge the calibre of potential recruits. The decline in the teaching of science and languages means that the number of teachers in those subjects has dwindled. As for the poor pupils, they find themselves armed with exam qualifications that are barely worth the paper they are written on. This dumbing down of the education system comes just as our competitors, particularly in Asia, are investing heavily in education of the most rigorous standard.

This has been a policy failure on the grand scale and it is to Mr Gove's credit that he has finally revealed the truth behind the headlines. In doing so, he has naturally incurred the wrath of the educational establishment, a strong indication in itself that he is doing the right thing. He has also set himself the most daunting of tasks, for it now falls to him to lead the restoration of this discredited system.

Well done to Mr Gove (the Education sec) for exposing something many of us knew but is something which Labour supporters kept harping on about as 'it just shows what Labour has done for education' - i'm not Gove's biggest fan but this is some welcome exposure of yet more fraudulent statistics from the last government.

And would you believe people in Oldham look likely to elect a Labour MP?

Thoughts?

[Ajthedragon]

Pretty bad I guess. Still, my school never made made take any 'bad' subjects. Mine in fact forced me to do a Language, which I am awful and getting an E at.

[AgnesIO]

Just out of interest, how do you define a 'worthwhile' subject?

[Jacob]

Just out of interest, how do you define a 'worthwhile' subject?

Yea I hate the way that they have put that out. They also use the term 'soft subjects' which annoys me because they say that it doesn't require academic ability. I don't think they are looking at it from a students point of view. Yes, some of the subjects are not traditional but I believe that education has moved away from that. I've always seen head teachers and teachers promote these so called 'soft subjects' to us and now they're saying that they don't like them in a way... our school also gave us no warning whatsoever about these subjects when we were choosing them. Therefore now a lot of students in our school are coming out with a big disadvantage.

[Mrs.McCall]

I hate that too. This is so ridiculous, some people aren't good at Maths, English and Sciences. They're good at other stuff. Doesn't make it any less worthwhile. What... an idiot.

[dbgtz]

I hate that too. This is so ridiculous, some people aren't good at Maths, English and Sciences. They're good at other stuff. Doesn't make it any less worthwhile. What... an idiot.

Personally I can see maths as being the only subject which is vital to most, if not all jobs. Only basic english is really needed which most people would have learnt, and science is only needed for science related jobs.

Anyway, this explains so much.

[Fez]

If anything new ICT skills and adaptation to new business environment skills are most necessary to education.

This video sums up my views on the current system of education:

[iBlueBox]

Well are school takes exam results really weird wanting to get high.

Like we got our exam results on friday. And 59% of the year got A-C in English. But 44% got A-C in maths. But like for the people who didn't get A-C theres still time to get them till like summer.

[Catzsy]

This is the relevant passage:

The results confirm what many have suspected for years – that schools have been cynically playing the system by encouraging pupils to take non-academic subjects in order to inflate their results artificially and improve the school's standing in the league tables.

What it means is that it is the number of GCSE's and in what one has to be cynical about not that the standard in academic subjects has fallen. I am sure employees, further education colleges and Universities can see this. Anyway what happens if someone isn't academic these days? Maybe a GCSE in what they are good in cannot be a bad thing. Why should pupils who are good at more 'hands on subjects' be left on the scrap heap? We need the skilled and semi -skilled trades. Horses for Courses I guess. Luckily Labour did win the byelection, convincingly.

[Conservative,]

My school only forces us to do: Science, English, Maths & ICT - which is fair imo, considering we have to do 3 of those anyway. We're not forced into doing a language or humanities or arts. I think the way the system is is quite frankly awful. :\