The turmoil and crisis in the education system revealed in Bernard Regan's article flows from the crisis of British capitalism. There is no simple solution to that ersis certainly there is no solution which teachers alone can provide.
However the struggles now being waged by teachers can open the way for building a wider movement with in the working class, to fight not simply in defence of present educational standards but towards a socialist It is the working class which pays for the broken down educational system, and under the social contract they will be expected to soft peddle on wage clains allegedly to finance Labour's social programme.
When teachers fight the cats, they need the support of the organised workers' movement. They are waging that fight not simply in their own interests but on behalf of the entire working class.
When local authorities claim that there is no money to repair, improve, or build new schools, the trade union movement must insist that the local Council impose an "educational levy" on all capitalist firms in the arca to provide that money.
The crippling interest rates prevent local authorities maintaining, never mind improving the education system. No interest should be paid on outstanding debts and all repayments ceased so that the educational needs of the working class can be met in full.
Unless teachers are naid a wase that enables them to combat inflation, then there will be a steady drain away from the schools. The already inadequate educational standards will drop even further. This is why the evenings or do low paid work at home, In the education system, women will be the first to get sacked to pay for the cutbacks.
Women workers who do all the drudge jobs in the kichens and do Wing class.
Even the 'progressives" call for nothing more than a policy which attempts to halt the present decline.
The Norfolk local authority say they will be short of 15,000 places by 1978. They claim they need £2 million just to put roofs over the heads of the pupils who will be at school, Children will be housed more and more in tickety old buildings some constructed in the 19th century while others will be housed in the "temporary" so-called "mobile classrooms which are becoming a permancar feature of the school landIn Sheffield 100 teachers are expocted to resign this yet — and so replacemants are likely to be take on. But is the local authority worried? Not on your life Thay Only another E220,000 to go, they are gleefully shouting. Reports of a local authority murder squed being set up to eliminate a further 300 teechers have been hotly denied. We have no such plans at present, said an official spokesman.
Little wonder that this crisis has had such serious effects on the work. force. Less people are applying to train as teachers-recent applications are down by 12 per cent. In some areas the fall in applicants is even more serious. The Council for Educational Advance has reported that there are 25 per cent fewer applications from science graduates to train as teachers, and 32 per cent fewer ch chemistry graduates have applied this by Easter of next year.
toilet paper.
Who said capitalism was a paper liger?
year. sume schools science subjects are neing removed from the timetable. In one East London school, maths is now optional for the 14plus age range.
A survcy of 104 local authorities in England and Wales shows that 6l of them have teacher shortages in specific subject categories; 46 in maths and 40 in technical and craft SULLGES.
COMPETE Many of the worst teacher shortages are in fields which directly compete with industry. Industrial the trade union movement must fight alongside teach ers for improved wages and for the smashing of the There is an appalling shortage of schools; others are in the process of falling down, while others could last for many years with proper repair work. The Labour Government claims that there is insufficient money to carry out the necessary work. At the same time it is planning to dole out thousands of millions of pounds to subsidise gangs of bankrupt capitalists.
It is a ludicrous situation. Teachers, in alliance with other workers in the public sector should campaign for a programme of re-building and for the nationalisation of the building industry, so that the resources of that industry could be turned towards re-building in educ ation, health and public housing.
During the nurses" pay dispute significant sections of the working class took solidarity action on behalf of the nurses. That action undoubtedly screwed more out of the Labour Government and the Haisbury In quiry than they originally intended to give.
On many university campuses students are now waging a bitter and determined struggle agninst the cut-hacks. Correctly they have said that they are not prepared to accept the burden of the capitalist crisis. In some universities the students have made contact with groups of local workers, to show how their fight is connected with the overall interests of the workThese practical examples show the way forward for the teachers. The widest possible alliance must be built in the public sector and in the broad trade union movement agsinst all cuts in social expenditure with this crisis. DELEGATES