The proposal to make use of the professional skills of asylum-seekers who are qualified teachers (TES, August 29) is clearly worth pursuing but there are other sources of teaching expertise which could be made available by a stroke of the bureaucrat’s pen.
An acquaintance of mine, domiciled in the Channel Islands, who has a good honours degree in one of the shortage subjects and who wishes to teach in this country, has been unable to take up his postgraduate certificate in education place this year because he would be required to pay overseas student fees (of more than Pounds 6,000). For some other courses, however, Channel Island students are asked to pay only the same fees as European Union students. Since his Channel Island authority is not prepared to give him a grant, he suffers a grave unfairness which also deprives our schools of his professional commitment.
HYWEL I EVANS
Llety’r Adar, Conwy
