Teenagers who drop out of school at 16 and refuse any further education will face fines or prosecution under new plans to raise the leaving age.
What? Learn or be fined! It's lovely to see our schools foster a nuturing atsmophere of 'You'll fucking well learn, sunshine' whilst holding a financial gun to the heads of thickies, entrepreuners and general drop-outs.
Education Secretary Alan Johnson said that by 2015, all youngsters in England would have to be in school or some form of training until their 18th birthday.
Why? To cover up the unemployment rates a little more? Ask yourself this - do we need all children to be educated to the age of 18? What does some training mean? And fuck this knowledge economy bullcrap. We can't all be management consultants, PR account executives or City traders. We still need builders, grave diggers, street sweepers, bin men, shop assistants, barmen - not glamorous, not the sort of thing you highligh in a manifesto but workers doing an important job that should be appreciated. Not everyone in society needs to be educated - just because someone has an MA in Gardening from the University of Livingston does not mean they are a better person that a streetsweeper, they are probably a worse person. Just because someone doesn't have any formal qualifications does not mean they are a bad person or are a deadweight on society, they can still an active and important role in society.
Just like we don't need 50% of people at university, we don't need everyone in school till 18.
Enforcement action would be taken only in a minority of "hardcore" cases who had refused help, Mr Johnson stressed.
Oh. So you won't actually be doing anything at all then? Presumably, that hardcore have dropped out for a reason?
Financial help and extra advice would be offered to those who needed it.
Erm. Does this mean that you are going to give people financial help so that they can pay the fines which is taking from Peter to pay, erm, Peter. If it's giving people financial help to stay in training, well, again, if they don't want to be there...
We need to ensure we have the right carrots and sticks in place
But this isn't a carrot because the donkey doesn't want to eat it, and it isn't a stick because you won't use it.
What? Learn or be fined! It's lovely to see our schools foster a nuturing atsmophere of 'You'll fucking well learn, sunshine' whilst holding a financial gun to the heads of thickies, entrepreuners and general drop-outs.
Education Secretary Alan Johnson said that by 2015, all youngsters in England would have to be in school or some form of training until their 18th birthday.
Why? To cover up the unemployment rates a little more? Ask yourself this - do we need all children to be educated to the age of 18? What does some training mean? And fuck this knowledge economy bullcrap. We can't all be management consultants, PR account executives or City traders. We still need builders, grave diggers, street sweepers, bin men, shop assistants, barmen - not glamorous, not the sort of thing you highligh in a manifesto but workers doing an important job that should be appreciated. Not everyone in society needs to be educated - just because someone has an MA in Gardening from the University of Livingston does not mean they are a better person that a streetsweeper, they are probably a worse person. Just because someone doesn't have any formal qualifications does not mean they are a bad person or are a deadweight on society, they can still an active and important role in society.
Just like we don't need 50% of people at university, we don't need everyone in school till 18.
Enforcement action would be taken only in a minority of "hardcore" cases who had refused help, Mr Johnson stressed.
Oh. So you won't actually be doing anything at all then? Presumably, that hardcore have dropped out for a reason?
Financial help and extra advice would be offered to those who needed it.
Erm. Does this mean that you are going to give people financial help so that they can pay the fines which is taking from Peter to pay, erm, Peter. If it's giving people financial help to stay in training, well, again, if they don't want to be there...
We need to ensure we have the right carrots and sticks in place
But this isn't a carrot because the donkey doesn't want to eat it, and it isn't a stick because you won't use it.
The age at which children must be in full-time education was raised to 16 in 1972, but, Mr Johnson said, there had been an ambition to raise it to 18 since World War I.
What?
What?
He added: "We are not going to chain young people to the desk and make them do quadratic equations."
Erm... but if the policy was implemented, which you've kind of admitted that it won't be, you may as well be? Surely?
'It would be a criminal offence to breach this order which would be subject to prosecution and an "appropriate penalty", the Green Paper said.'
Erm... but if the policy was implemented, which you've kind of admitted that it won't be, you may as well be? Surely?
'It would be a criminal offence to breach this order which would be subject to prosecution and an "appropriate penalty", the Green Paper said.'
Criminalising paying truant?
This would mean a criminal penalty for a breach of a civil order - in the same way as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders are pursued in the criminal courts.
Because ASBOs have worked so incredibly well? These will become a badge of honour 'I've got a fine 'cos a didnae gae to school'.
Or alternatively, the young person could be issued with a fixed penalty notice requiring them to pay a fine.
Ok... we are talking about 16 year olds. I hate to break this to you, Johnson, you preening cunt, that 16 year olds who leave school, on the fucking whole, aren't in a position to pay fixed penalty notices for not going to school or trainign. They are often a) unemployed b) employed in a job that means a fine of any magnitude would cause considerable harm.
Breaching a referral order or not paying a fine will lead the young person further into the youth offending system
The people who are most likely to be hit by this are the poorest in society. Those who leave school at 16 are probably going to be unable to pay a fine. That means they will be much more likely to go further down the Youth Offending System. Not good for them. Not good for me the poor taxpayer and not good for society.
So what have we seen? 1) If this was instituted it would be fundamentally unfair 2) It probably won't be instituted. 3) Yet a-fucking-gain this government is spewing out policy to generate headlines.
RS
7 comments:
Well said. Heard about this this morning and thought it was fucking ludicrous.
The New Deal was and is a disaster. It was originally designed to help youngsters into work.
Make them stay in education then you can scrap the New Deal and, Voila! New Deal is a success because it helped many thousands of people into work who would otherwise have found a job anyways, and no younsters to worry about!
New Labour is a wonderful.
Surely the parents should be made to pay any fine?
Having only recently left the education system of this great and mighty country, I always felt that one of the saving graces with the leaving age being 16 was that all the complete and utter morons leave. All the people who get stoned in exams, drink in the class room, fight the teacher; all of them leave. It gives the rest of us who might want to learn something the opportunity to do so in peace. Shame future generations will not have this simple joy..
I'm a Marxist & I agreed with every word of this. One of us should probably be worried...
Agreed, it is utterly stupid. If they really intend to do this it shows that the NuLab elite have utterly lost touch with reality. If it's just talk to "generate headlines", it shows how stupid they think everyone else is if they think we're going to be impressed by something so incoherent.
My head's still shaking.
Post a Comment