I think it is a bit rich for the noble Lord Bhattacharyya to talk of “physician heal thyself” when he comes from a sector that inspects itself and has the tough job of getting students with three or four A grades at A-level through to an upper-second class honours degree in three years.
(TES, March 18).
Even then the drop-out rate is often staggering and the costs excessive.
The picture I have in the West Midlands is of a vibrant further education sector that is benefiting from many new buildings, employers who provide all the latest kit and are absolutely gagging to be entrusted with level 4 work - and, certainly in our case, benefiting from a queue of employers willing to endorse us and who say that we have significantly impacted their “bottom line”.
It does not help our sector to read the historic pontifications set out in the article.
Perhaps Lord Bhattacharyya might care to reflect that the decline in areas of study such as chemistry and civil engineering in his own sector is due to quality issues rather than resources.
Is it perhaps a case of physician heal thyself?
Ioan Morgan
Principal
Warwickshire college
Leamington Centre
Royal Leamington Spa
