Peter Hain MP, Education Minister for Wales, claims this will help hard-pressed teachers and will improve literacy. Earlier this year, at the launch of the Welsh Office's new literacy policy, it was found that four out of ten 11 year olds fail to reach acceptable standards in the English and Welsh languages. The scheme is to be piloted in Wales early next year and, depending on its success, will then be extended to the rest of Britain.
Employers receive subsidies for the first six months equivalent to the wage paid.
The subsidies will be payable for six months. Even then they will only be taken on after an interview by head teachers. Once again, under the guise of raising standards and reducing unemployment, the government is embracing a project that will drive down standards even further. The proposal both seeks to use the unemployed as cheap labour and introduce the market into yet another area of education. The government says that educational standards are falling, but rather than employ more qualified teachers there is a de-skilling taking place across the board.