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What Does the 2015 Election Result Mean for Education?

The Tories won a shock majority in the May 2015 Election much to the surprise of almost everyone, not least of all Paddy Ashdown who said that if the Exit Poll was correct and the Tories won a majority, he would eat his hat. Many people were expecting and hoping for another coalition thanks to the increased popularity of UKIP, The Green Party and SNP but that didn’t happen. We got a Tory government; they made a number of pledges in their manifesto relating to education so what does the election result mean for education?

A Changes of Education Secretary

Out with the old and in with the new; the much-maligned former Education Secretary Michael Gove was moved out of the post almost a year ago to become Minister for Justice. Many teachers and lecturers in our schools and universities breathed a sigh of relief as Nicky Morgan was given the role. Her appointment was met with mixed opinions and she has been criticised in the past for some controversial viewpoints.

Instilling British Values

One of the biggest core changes to schools following the election result is the instilling of “British Values”. It comes in light of the Trojan Horse Scandal – something that secular groups warned about in allowing religious segregation to divide children. The government has promised an education syllabus to include core British values and that anyone teaching extremist ideology would have their funding cut. They have already banned the teaching of creationism, putting evolutionary science at the core of biology.

Expansion of Free Schools

Despite the criticisms of their management method and the ongoing problems of Trojan Horse Scandals in faith schools, the Tory government is expected to continue to roll these out as the Parliament progresses. The brainchild of Michael Gove for all its criticisms, was not opposed by Labour in the run up to the election. Many state schools will be given the opportunity to apply for Academy status too, changes the party feels will improve education standards in the UK.

Reduction in University Places

Despite that the Tories claim to have a strong education policy, the increase in top up fees has led to a reduction in real terms of the number of available university places and the number of people wishing to go into higher education. They may deny that it is their intention to actively discourage people from getting degrees, but many journalists feel they “rationing” places in order to strangle out what are considered useless qualifications.

Student Loans Structure

The present system is unsustainable – low interest rates with abolition if not paid back within a set period will be replaced with interest rates, a lower wage cap at which a graduate must pay back their loan and the likelihood that the time limit will be scrapped altogether. The very real risk ties university education back into employability, once again limiting access and refining a system that has proven costly to the taxpayer.