Britain to Ban Teachers from Promoting Academics to Pupils

Despite criticism that Britain's new "National Vocational Qualifications" have "absolutely no significant economic value to their holders", the government is proposing to ban teachers from promoting the traditional academic qualifications known as A-levels. Under the proposal, schools will be legally required to provide "impartial advice" and "must not promote any particular options." Even if one option is clearly superior to the others, teachers would need to pretend that they're all equally valid.

While this type of relativism is sadly nothing new for schools in terms of the way they treat cultural values, I find it extremely disturbing to see it extended to the realm of academics. Britain's children deserve better, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. These children are significantly less likely than wealthier ones to have informed and involved parents encouraging them to strive for A-levels. Teachers have a responsibility to their students to help them achieve their potential as best the teachers can. The government has no business interfering with that duty!