Qualification survey boosts pay parity call

18th October 2002, 1:00am

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Qualification survey boosts pay parity call

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/qualification-survey-boosts-pay-parity-call
Poll shows majority of Welsh lecturers hold teaching certificate. Robert Boyland reports

New research shows a far higher proportion of lecturers with qualified teacher status than previously believed.

Unions have moved swiftly to say that this justifies bigger pay rises to bring college lecturers’ salaries in line with those of school teachers.

The latest research by the Further Education National Training Organisation suggests that at least five out of six lecturers in Wales hold a qualification equal in status to the PGCE.

There is a downside in the results for lecturers in English colleges who, earlier research suggests, are less well qualified than their Welsh counterparts. Also, an investigation in FE Focus this week has found that figures given for numbers of qualified teachers in FE are likely to be exaggerated.

Academics at the Greenwich and Surrey universities say the way colleges record information on qualifications is damaging efforts to track the proportion of FE staff with recognised teaching qualifications.

But union officials were adamant that the FENTO findings strengthen the case for a pay rise to eliminate the 12 per cent pay gap between school teachers and FE lecturers.

The survey of all 7,000 FE teaching staff in Wales is the most exhaustive yet carried out in the UK. The researchers insist that their criteria give an objective measure of the qualifications attained.

They discovered that 83 per cent of full-time teachers hold a Certificate of Education (CoE) compared to a UK average of 62 per cent. For part-time staff, 70 per cent had the certificates, compared with 44 per cent in English colleges.

John Graystone, chief executive of Fforwm, which represents all colleges in Wales, said: “This survey is welcome news for the sector, given its confirmation that colleges deliver high quality education for all and its ability to pinpoint areas where improvement is required.”

Welsh officials of the lecturers’ union Natfhe say the survey puts more weight behind their campaign to close the gap in pay between college and school teachers.

“One of the reasons we are asking for parity is because we know our members are highly qualified,” said Margaret Phelan, Natfhe regional official for Wales. “We also know how good they are in delivering education objectives. I just hope funding allocations reflect that.”

Government efforts to prevent industrial action, including a strike on November 5, have so far failed. They include a last-minute pledge of pound;32 million from higher education minister Margaret Hodge. This brings the 2.3 per cent currently on offer up to the 3.5 per cent accepted by school teachers.

The unions were more optimistic following adult skills minister Ivan Lewis’s pledge to close the pay gap - though not as fast as the unions expect. Paula Lanning, Natfhe’s national communication director, said, they have always been willing to consider qualified teacher status as part of the longer term pay issue.

Gavin Thomas, FENTO National Development Officer for Wales, said: “The survey confirms that colleges are investing very wisely in staff development and are already reaping the benefits,” he said.

Academic arguments, 33

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