Cut by up to pound;10m in Lothian; warning of riots
Lothian Region’s education budget is to be cut by pound;5-10m as a result of the new Conservative-controlled regional council seeking a 14 per cent reduction in rates. Mr Henry Philip, head of Liberton High, Edinburgh, speaking as part of a trade union delegation, said the cuts could cause riots similar to those in Brixton and Toxteth.
Appeal to save secondary BEd
The EIS and the Catholic Education Commission have joined forces to suggest that the government cut the number of colleges of education offering the BEd degree for secondary teachers, as an alternative to scrapping it. The EIS says the extinction of the secondary BEd degree would harm the primary BEd, “which might come to be regarded, unjustly, as an inferior degree”.
Girls the target
Award-winning actress Dee Hepburn, star of Gregory’s Girl, played an unusual role in the BBC’s Edinburgh studios - herself. Miss Hepburn was appearing in the Scottish Health Education Group’s radio drama Kilbreck as the personality presenting the prizes at the Kilbreck “knock-out”. Dr David Player, SHEG director, said her presence was central to SHEG’s campaign against smoking. In a recent survey, it was found that more girls were taking up smoking than boys.
Profession split?
Teachers at a comprehensive school in Lanarkshire - in an urban, working- class area - were surveyed on the effects of abolishing corporal punishment. Comments from retentionists included: “It’s a short, sharp shock”; “Its effect is immediate”; “Belting is highly economical of teacher time”; “I don’t believe it does lasting harm”; “Removal of the belt is yet another erosion of our professional status”.
Channel 4 offers peak-time education
Channel 4 will include multicultural programmes for primary pupils and a pilot series for the young mentally handicapped, announced Mrs Naomi McIntosh, senior commissioning editor of educational programmes. The opening of Channel 4 in November will see seven hours a week devoted to education - double the amount of educational programmes for adults on ITV - broadcast between 5pm and 7pm.