Education should be placed at the heart of political parties’ strategies for Wales, according to calls being made ahead of the Senedd election.
The demand comes from NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, which has unveiled its own manifesto for the upcoming Senedd poll in Wales.
The document calls for world-class remuneration and working terms for educators, to provide a healthy, safe and secure environment for workplaces in Wales, to tackle discrimination, hate and inequality, and to bring a national coherence to education in Wales.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of NASUWT, said the key to prioritising education in Wales lies in prioritising pay and working conditions for teachers, who form the very foundations on which schools are built. He explained that this election will determine not only where power sits in the Senedd but also the future direction of education in Wales. He stated that securing a better deal for teachers is vital to improve recruitment and retention, reduce workloads and stress levels, and enable teachers to meet the needs of all their pupils.
The union maintains that the question is not whether the next administration can afford a world-class education system in Wales, but why they believe teachers and pupils should accept anything less than world-class.
Neil Butler, NASUWT’s national official for Wales, said Welsh schools face a distinctive set of challenges. He noted that poverty levels in Wales are higher than in many other parts of the UK. He added that fragmented curriculum changes and qualifications reform have severely disrupted teachers’ workloads and pupils’ education, while widespread job cuts are happening at the same time as shortages of teachers in certain subject areas.
He cautioned that the absence of a national strategy is damaging the system. Mr Butler said there is currently no comprehensive plan covering the whole of Wales. He argued that Wales needs a new administration with the bravery to deliver transformative improvements to education while focusing on better conditions for teachers.