Bombshell is just a symptom
Wednesday 25th February 2009, 3:09PM GMT.
ONE of the superficially puzzling aspects of the row about taxpayers’ funding of the colleges is why the Education minister chose to trigger it in the first place. After all, parents, pupils, teachers and schools – not to mention the music and youth services – have all been alarmed unnecessarily since the issue has to be subject to proper consideration and consultation well before 2012, when the current arrangements are due to expire.
So was dropping the bombshell an act of political pique at having lost the argument to close two schools or further evidence that Education is particularly inept (given the evidence of the on-off closure of St Andrew’s) at considering the feelings of those whose interests it is supposed to represent?
Alternatively, the minister’s comments might be a frustrated reaction to the recognition that government has to make savings and that the department’s recommended strategy was rejected on a wave of sentiment and an absence of logic.
Where else, she is asking, can economies be made?
Her dilemma highlights an issue this newspaper has been highlighting since before zero-10 was implemented: even if the States wanted – or, in the current economic climate, needed – to turn off the expenditure tap, it cannot.
The Treasure minister has explained in this newspaper that 64% of all costs, salaries and so-called formula-led items, are not in his gift to control, nor does he seek to bring them within his remit. In turn, that means the single biggest remaining element of States cost, some 14.5%, is under the supplies and services heading.
In other words, under the current arrangements, if Education wants to be a corporate player and save, its only options are to stop the supply of books and stationery to its schools or slash services.
No, clearly it’s not that black and white. Its administration centre alone costs #3.6m. but unless and until there is coordinated action from the States centrally to get on top of payroll and pensions and sell non-government operations like the utilities, States Works and the sewage collection service to the private sector, individual departments’ room for manoeuvre is limited.
So the Education minister rocking the boat is simply symptomatic of the wider problem.
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You are right in saying that the Education administration centre costs £3.6 million.
You could have been unkind and added the £11 million plus cost of Education Support services.
It concentrates the mind that the numbers employed in administration and other functions in Education, are about a third of the total number of teachers and lecturers – 228 others and 672 teachers and lecturers (Source Budget Report 2008)
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Stephen
How does the ratio of education administrators to teachers, and education administrators to pupils, compare with similar-sized regions of the UK? Is that information available ?
I bet the UK doesn’t have armies of education administrators on 14 weeks a year paid leave either !
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Stephen John – As an Education service user I’d like to chip in and say that the States infrastructure that supports me in higher education is lean but well run. I would not want to see any reduction in this staffing.
If we have to trim anything, let’s lose some deputies.
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David
I don’t know the answer but most of the daft ideas and empire building in education in Guernsey were sourced from the UK.
What is clear is that terms and conditions in some UK educational establishments, often make the Guernsey terms and conditions look very generous.
Student Bob
Please tell me the areas of the States infrastructure that supports you in further education (6 Form Grammar)
How many of these support areas could be provided by your own school staff? How much duplication of effort is there?
Let ius have your views and reasons for them. It is always good to hear from customers of the education process.
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SJ – Don’t let my sloppy grammar and speling fool you, I’m a mature student in the second year of a physiotherapy degree.
As such, I regularly meet and deal with the Education Department on such matters as my funding and clinical placement. The Channel Island student experience differs from the UK in that we’re deemed international students. Course fees are course fees at the end of the day so that we pay about 4x more than UK students is irrelevant, the grant process I find fair and equitable.
My clinical placements, where I am sent into the community to train, is trickier, my UK counterparts are NHS funded, but for the international student, of which I am the only one here, we have to locate non-NHS sites, or NHS sites that will take what is a privately funded student with the usual wrangling over tuition costs whilst on placement. In all these matters I have found the small team at Education prompt, helpful and professional in a manner I regret I rarely encountered during my years in finance. They are stretched in terms of personnel as I suggested earlier and in my opinion there is simply no room to cut staff. I recall the problems and backlog that arose two years ago when a staff member was on extended sick leave.
You know, when we consider the entire non-teaching educational infrastructure in the island, from the caretakers to my further education administrators, I can easily believe that 228 are employed. Perhaps we could have more?
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