It's time that the government - and society as a whole - stopped thinking that qualifications make for good teachers and medics, etc. Often, the best teachers are those who have struggled most to understand the subject they teach because they appreciate the problems that learners face. Rather than requiring teachers to have a particular level of academic achievement before being allowed to start teaching, perhaps the academic qualification should be introduced AFTER someone has proved that they have the aptitude to teach and enthuse pupils.
Tidying my study later yesterday, I came across an Education Guardian from 24th Nov '09, which had as it opening article "Keeping nursing students on course - How will universities train enough nurses to degree level when the drop-out rate for such courses is can be as high as 78%?".
As a teacher who trained in the 1970's I know of plenty of fellow students who did the requisite 1-year as a probationary teacher, but who then bailed out of the profession within a further year or two. Is this really sensible use of funds?
Despite being a trained nurse with 26 years experience ,because I took a 5 year break I cannot practise again without a 6 month return to practice course at the cost of £2,000 , and I would still be seen as inferior to those with a degree who have trained since 2000. There are hundreds of nurses out there trying to return but the government have made it impossible.Such a waste of talent and resources as you so rightly say. At my Doctors surgery a Care assistant can do the job I trained for with only an NVQ.
ReplyDeletetootallburd, my wife is a highly qualified Australian nurse - or was - until she let her registration over there lapse partly by mistake and partly because she thought that it was only valid for work in Australia (and she came to the UK with me when we married). She has never been able to find work as a nurse here, despite being an SRN, Midwife and MCH nurse. She has now retrained as a chiropodist!!
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