NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union has launched its own manifesto for the Senedd election calling on political parties to make education the epicentre of their plans for Wales.
NASUWT Cymru’s new manifesto issues a call to action to politicians, asking them to:
- Secure world-class pay and conditions for teachers
- Provide a healthy, safe and secure environment for workplaces in Wales
- Tackle discrimination, hate and inequality
- Bring a national coherence to education in Wales
“Prioritising education in Wales starts with prioritising pay and working conditions for teachers, who are the very foundations our schools are built upon.
“This election will not only decide where power sits in the Senedd – it will decide the trajectory of education in Wales. A Better Deal for teachers is essential to improve recruitment and retention, reduce teachers’ workloads and levels of stress, and position teachers to best meet the needs of all of their pupils.
“The question is not whether the next government can afford a world class education system in Wales; it is why they think teachers and pupils should put up with anything less than world class. Education is a fundamental pillar of democracy and failure to fund it is a failure to fund the country’s future.”
Neil Butler, NASUWT National Official for Wales, said:
“When it comes to schools, Wales faces a unique set of challenges. We have higher levels of poverty here than many other areas of the UK. Disjointed curriculum changes and qualifications reform have played havoc with teachers’ workloads and pupils’ education. Widespread redundancies are taking place whilst there are shortages of teachers in some subject areas.
“There is simply no plan for the whole of Wales. We need a new government with the courage to bring transformational improvements to education whilst prioritising improved conditions for teachers. Education should never be about minimising services to cut costs. The new government must acknowledge that schools are workplaces and that funding cuts have lasting repercussions, not only for teachers’ working conditions, but the long term supply of teachers in Wales.
“Wales deserves better than a bargain basement education system, but world class doesn’t come cheap. Teachers expect ambition from pupils and politicians expect ambition from teachers, so we expect nothing less than an ambitious plan for education from the politicians themselves – including the funding to match.”
