Michael Gove is the first Education Minister in history to carry
out a policy that is likely to produce a fall in grades. His new policy
approach towards education is to make education better by making it harder and
he is openly admitting that grades will fall as a result. This is a change from
the previous Education Minsters who have pushed for higher grades, even at the
expense of less rigorous and thorough education. Gove however does not what the
number of people passing to go up as a
reflection of good education, but rather wants grades to reflect the quality
and value of education. Gove has emphasised that many students that go into higher
education with good grades are often not adequate for higher education study.
This reflection has even occurred at GCSE level where the pass rate has been around
98% for a number of years even though internationally the UK’s science and
maths scores on league tables are lagging behind many other western countries.
Gove’s proposals are designed to focus on the core subjects
being the emphasis of education. At GCSE level coursework is now being phased
out, with exams dominating the assessment for the majority of subjects. At A
Level Gove’s aim is to involve universities and academics in the process of
choosing exam questions, with questions allowing students to demonstrate a
greater level of ability. He is also
pushing for stricter regulation of exam boards to prevent them from giving
teachers tip-offs about how to succeed in exams. The Education Secretary’s
strategy will no doubt have a big impact on restructuring the education system
and will reshape league tables for schools right across the country. The
biggest impact will be on the students themselves who will now face new
pressures and new challenges through their educational life.
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