Boris proves the independent point

"...and then they made me their chief."


And as the results of the London mayoral election are in the old Etonian is in and Monsieur Ken is out. But believe me when I say that this is not a post about why Boris is or is not better than Ken but to once again prove the bleeding obvious true that a person who has had one of the best private educations has made it into a position of authority. No matter what the government is doing, has done or will do will stop the education that is outside the government being better than the governments. There are many people who oppose the independent system because they claim that it is the richer middle and upper classes selfishly using their money to pay for education that is better than everyone elses'. However I must point out that this is their money we are talking about and last time I checked we live in a capitalist society and a person was allowed to make as much money for themselves and put it to whatever use they like.

We must remember that these people who oppose it so vigorously see nothing harmful in paying for cheap private dental care or health care beyond the NHS. Does this make the NHS bad? No, it simply means there are people who want to be different and what right does the government have to stop them?

If anything the independent system should make the government take a long hard look at its own education system and see what parts are in dire need of improvement and what things could be kicked into touch. Allow me to give you an example, earlier last year the government proposed that schools were to start teaching a whole new range of foreign languages such as Japanese, Mandarin and many other exotic tongues that we all wish were in our repertoire but when only last month did they announce that they intend to scrap language oral examinations claiming that they are too stressful. At the present day the number of language teachers are diminishing at an alarming rate not to mention the number of pupils taking foreign languages even at GCSE let alone A-Level. So low are the numbers that in my year alone only 11 people do German and even that's split up into two separate classes so that the 6 who are doing German and another language (French/Spanish) are together and those 5 doing single German are together. Next year there will be a grand total of 2 taking the subject for A-Level... How can the government expect to teach more languages when the number of takers and teachers will be so low.

The reason the government are putting so much pressure on the independent schools is because they remind the government of their failures by constantly being outstanding. Eton and St Paul's have both boycotted the league tables this year as it has ruined the education system by forcing schools to make students get the maximum number of qualifications as possible regardless of standard. School is no longer about teaching but passing exam after exam.

And here we are. At a point in time where teachers no longer teach.

No wonder they're on strike.