Letters: Striking rhetoric from Michael Gove

No real surprise that Michael Gove is refusing to listen to teachers' justifiable anger about the changes to their pensions (Parents can break school strike ? Gove, 27 June). The pensions review in 2006 was meant to be "once in a lifetime", now five years later huge chunks are to be gouged out of teachers' pensions. In response, the ATL have voted for their first national strike in 127 years. In the NUT ballot 92% of those who voted wanted to take action.

As for "damaging respect for teaching", in 2010 the Co-op undertook a survey of the general public to ascertain the most trusted and respected jobs. At the top of the list were doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters and, yes, teachers. Occupying the bottom of the league table were estate agents, journalists, bankers and traffic wardens. Propping up the table, fresh from the expenses scandal, were ? politicians. As Mr Gove has already worked in two of the most disrespected professions, would it be possible for him to retrain as an estate agent or a traffic warden?

Richard Knights

Liverpool

??In the words of the 1944 Education Act there shall be "a minister whose duty it shall be to promote the education of the people of England and Wales and the progressive development of institutions devoted to that purpose". Michael Gove should be at the negotiations table supporting the teachers, not alienating them. Drawing on his knowledge of history, he should echo King Richard II, who, when facing rebellious peasants marching on London, said: "I will be your leader. You shall have from me all you seek." Mr Gove often says that education needs great teachers: well he should recognise that they deserve just rewards for their professional commitment ? and few of them will have the energy to continue to work till 66.

Michael Bassey

Newark, Nottinghamshire

??What an excellent idea when Gove calls for parents to break school strikes; perhaps all civil servant professionals could be replaced by amateurs and so save billions. All government budget problems would thereby be solved in the twinkling of an eye. I'm not quite sure how the plan will pan out if the doctors decide to strike, but one problem at a time. It's such a comfort to me as a parent to know that the education secretary rates our teachers so highly.

Leslie Dalton

Eastbourne, East Sussex

??I see today that Michael Gove plans to "improve" the quality of education in our schools by offering financial incentives for "excellent candidates" (�20,000 offer to first-class graduates who enter teaching, 27 June). It seems that Mr Gove's definition of an excellent candidate is one who holds a first-class degree. As somebody who has spent more than 30 years in education, I have never seen a link between excellent teachers and a first-class degree. If there is any correlation at all it is a negative one, as those with "lesser" degrees often have a greater understanding of learners' difficulties. An excellent candidate will have enthusiasm, patience and excellent people skills. But then "people skills" is possibly a concept that Mr Gove is not familiar with, judging by his treatment of teachers.

Richard Arrowsmith

Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

??So, as one arm of government seeks to slash teachers' lifetime earnings by the odd �100k through a subtle combination of reduced pension payments, increased pension contributions and later retirement, another arm of government proposes to offer inducements of up to �20k to recruit new teachers. Joined-up government, or what?

David Lewin

Oxford

??Michael Gove wants to end the culture of resits (Report, 27 June) and wishes teachers to concentrate on developing "deep and rounded knowledge" of the subjects being taught. This from a man who has done little or nothing to relax the grip of the most prescriptive curriculum since the worst of Victorian practice.

In the same paper you feature the 2011 Folkestone Triennial (Artists offer depressed Channel port a sense of place and new perspectives, 27 June), with which I have been closely involved in Hew Locke's installation in the old parish church. Close on 400 people visited the church in the opening weekend, many of them families with children. Their reactions to the suspended ships were wonderful to see. The effect of such a visit cannot be assessed by a tick in a box. Life is far more than preparing (training) our young children and students to pass examinations. Life is for living, experiencing, giving and taking. In the words of the poet WB Yeats: "Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire."

Ian Gordon

Folkestone, Kent

??Turnout for the AV referendum: 41.97%. Paraphrase of Tory-led government response: "Wonderful! The country overwhelmingly voted for first past the post." Turnout for NUT ballot for strike action: 40%. Paraphrase of Tory-led government response: "Disgraceful! Only 40% bothered to vote."

Roger Tollervey

Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire

??Suzanne Moore has mixed feelings about the 30 June strikes (Suzanne's week, 25 June) because she is concerned about childcare. May I reassure her that all ages of children, and their parents, will be welcome at the picket lines, rallies and actions up and down the country, where parents can show their support by taking the day off themselves. If she looks at www.j30strike.org, there are even maps to direct her to the nearest event.

Tabitha Bast

Leeds

??I am a teacher approaching retirement age. I am not striking on Thursday. The government has said that my accrued rights will be protected. However, the change from RPI to CPI indexing will lower significantly the pension I will receive. Former colleagues who have already retired are also affected by this change. How are we to make financial provisions for the shortfall in our anticipated pensions? A reasonable government would have retained the RPI for all those teachers who are aged 50 years or above, and, failing that, for retired teachers.

Second, the government seems to be planning to withdraw the Teachers' Pension Scheme from independent schools. Many of these are highly successful establishments whose pupils achieve high standards academically. Removing them from the pension scheme will make the recruitment and retention of good, well-qualified teachers difficult. Is this really the government's intention?

Third, for well-qualified teachers like myself there has always been a trade-off between poor pay and a good pension. I had assumed that the trade-off was sacrosanct. If high-quality teachers are to be recruited in future, any decrease in pension will have to be offset by an increase in salary.

Finally, future university students beware! It would be naive to assume that the generous student loans introduced by the government were anything more than a way of ensuring the legislation would be passed. If the teachers' pension scheme can be changed for existing pensioners, so too can the terms of those student loans. To the coalition nothing is sacrosanct.

Ernest Carwithen

Solihull, West Midlands

??Michael Gove is a person of many words, so his suggestion that CRB-checked parents could rush in on Thursday to keep schools open is all of a piece with his meanderings. Two points, though:

First, Mr Gove says, on the one hand, that many parents will be put under pressure on Thursday to stay at home from work and, on the other, that there are legions of CRB-checked parents, presumably not in work, whom headteachers could call in as "reserve staff". Or is he saying that those working parents with older children who can be left to their own devices should say to their employers they can't be at work on Thursday because their country needs them in the nation's classrooms?

Second, as for a decline in respect for those teachers who strike on Thursday, and the damage this could do to the profession as a whole, Mr Gove is underestimating the sympathy many parents and non-parents have with teachers and other public sector workers who will be striking. And, believe it or not, public sector workers may also be parents in this multitasking and multitasked world. Strike-breaking is hardly an honourable call to arms!

Bruce Ross-Smith

Headington, Oxford

??Just one question for Mr Gove: will the "mums' army" he is calling on to keep schools open on Thursday be CRB-checked?

Barbara Hibbert

Harrogate, North Yorkshire

??In an age when it is rightly insensitive to call strike breakers "blacklegs", a Tory minister has given us a replacement, "Govelegs". Well done, Michael.

Dave Nicholson

Windsor, Berkshire