THE PRIME Minister announced an extension to the “golden hello” scheme paying pound;5,000 to include those training as teachers in modern languages (TES, July 23).
I now find from the Department for Education and Employment website that those payments are not to be made until September 2000 for modern languages. I feel that it is grossly unjust that students who have already spent four years studying a language are being penalised if they start their PGCE in September 1999 in shortage subjects.
M Wilson, Cleadon Village, Sunderland
