The Tess Archive - 11 October 1991

The month Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton announced he would seek the 1992 Democratic nomination for President of the United States, and the first Sumo wrestling tournament held off Japanese soil in the sport’s 1,500-year history took place at London’s Royal Albert Hall

14th October 2011, 1:00am

Tes Editorial

Broadside on literacy standards

A scathing attack on literacy standards has been made by a senior publishing lecturer at Edinburgh’s Napier Polytechnic. Alistair McLeery, writing in TESS, argues that students of publishing and journalism with good Higher English passes need remedial classes. Some 42,000 candidates sat Higher English this year and Dr McLeery fears these large numbers cause lapses in literacy to slip through the Scottish Examination Board’s net.

Cuts undermine youth training guarantee

Evidence that the Government has not met its guarantee of a training place for all 16 and 17-year-olds without a job or not in full-time education comes this week from Central. A survey showed a rising number of jobless youngsters and fewer on youth training. While there were 260 YT places, the number registered as unemployed stood at 613 last month.

Survey reveals test burden

The time required to mark the national primary tests for a class of 33 is 39 hours, 36 minutes, a Central Region survey of last session’s pilot tests has found. Choosing test items and doing paperwork took several more hours; heads spent up to a whole afternoon with each teacher, discussing the tests and choosing items to order.

The future according to Forsyth

Scotland will not copy New Zealand and scrap education authorities, Michael Forsyth assured the Professional Association of Teachers’ conference in Glasgow. The Education Minister was not inclined to follow the example of that country’s socialist government, which gave full powers to school boards. Neville Lambert, leader of New Zealand’s largest teachers’ union, told Scottish teachers during a study visit that the devolved system was a “disaster waiting to collapse”.

War without winners

If ever a war was without winners, this is it - and Croatia’s 700,000 pupils are in the frontline. In the disputed regions of Slavonia, Krajina and Banja, the schools have not reopened after the summer. In Pakrac, eastern Slavonia, there had been a recently-built infant school, but it had been wrecked by mortar, shell and aerial attack.