Image copyright (C) Garry Barker
Background to opposition
Now, for you people who do not know who this lovely (idiotic) gentleman is, or why people are so opposed to him, I will explain.
In 2010, before the most recent general election when he received office, the education system was chugging along fine. There had been no major outbursts from the two biggest unions representing teachers and students (National Union of Teachers (NUT), and the National Union of Students (NUS)). The GCSE was examined in the January and June of Year 10 (where students are 14 on or before 1st September of the previous year), and the January and June of Year 11 (where students are 15 on or before 1st September of the previous year). This was fine - your subject would be split into modules, where you would generally have 1/2 exams per subject with each exam session. It nicely spreads out the exams so that you can retake if you're ill, or just did badly and want another chance (it does cost to retake). The same went for the A-Level in Lower Sixth/Year 12 and Upper Sixth/Year 13.
Students really liked this exam layout, as it meant you only had a portion of the subject to prepare for at each exam season, and so, were better prepared for the exam, reducing stress levels (though they were still high!). Universities were happily admitting the A-Level students from college, and colleges were happily admitting the GCSE students from secondary school. All was well with the world. University tuition cost £3,000/year, which was happily do-able with a student loan, and after you have a degree from a three-year course, one is quite able to get a job which can pay that back in easy installments in a couple of years (well, the average graduate job paying around £29,900 with the student debt being £9,000 for a three year course).
Then, suddenly in May 2010 - bam! A new party is in government. Then, what do we get just mere months afterwards? Well, in October of 2010, we have the Browne Review, stating that tuition fee's should be uncapped. Limitless. Now, we can't have this - universities will be charging massive amounts of money, and only the very wealthy will be able to get in. How unfair to those who aren't so well off, but still want an education to become more wealthy.
Your move, Parliament
Now, as you can imagine, the NUS was appalled with the mere suggestion that university fees could be limitless. Students were already having to live off a small amount of money, and at this point, the UK was deep within a recession.
On 2nd November 2010, an announcement came from a Mr David Willetts announcing that the Browne Review was rejected, however it is now proposed for a rise in tuition fees to £9,000 per year. That means the nice little BSc/BA course that was going to be £9,000 for the entire course in tuition fees is now going to cost someone £27,000. This caused outrage among both students and teachers, who subsequently took to the streets in a series of protests.
Now, you'd hope that when the government saw the opposition, they'd relent and decide to vote against the proposition. Especially seeing as the protests were causing such disruption, and world-wide media attention. Nope. On 9th December 2010, Parliament passed the bill. Tuition fees would rise for all courses starting in September 2011 and on.
Here comes Mr Gove
So, the government has more or less destroyed the prospect of university for many potential students. What more can they do? Oh yeah - destroy school lives for the students as well!
On 21st June 2010, Mr Gove announced that he wanted to revamp the GCSE exam system, stating that the system he brings in will be "tough" and more "rigourous". Ok, sound good so far. We don't want getting qualifications to be easy, else they will have no value. But it's the way he wants to do it that is terrible.
Let me give you a quick background into why GCSEs are a brilliant way to examine people. In 1986, GCSEs were introduced to replace the O-Level and the CSE. To advance onto the A-Level, and thus university, you needed an O-Level in your desired subject. However, not everyone was entered for the O-Level. Teachers would enter students either for the O-Level, or the CSE. The CSE was nearly useless, as you were unable to advance from it, and few jobs liked them. But for two years, students were destined to work towards and achieve a CSE. The point of the GCSE was that it was a qualification everyone would take, and just have more grades. This would enable the students with higher grades to go on to an A-Level, or students with a lower grade to go into GCSE accepting jobs. Brilliant system indeed.
Now, Michael Gove was trying to revert us back to this two-tiered O-Level system. As you can imagine, this caused major outcry, as it would mean going back to a very unfair system. Worse still, he announced it as GCSEs were being examined, and wanted it to start in the September of 2014, far too quickly to implement. Luckily, this was rejected from Parliament, but Gove wasn't about to go away. Ooh no. He will have a go at both GCSE and A-Level students next time.
The 'Educational Reform' Part 1
Ok, so we don't hear from him for a month or two, and we think we're safe. Then suddenly on 9th November 2012, Mr Gove slaps us all in the face (not literally of course - though it would be good, as he would be arrested and lose office..) with a new bill that has passed very discreetly. From September 2013, so the next academic year, he has decided to scrap January exams. Just completely do away with them. And this doesn't matter if you're half-way through a qualification or not. Gove gets in a tantrum and gets his way. So, those of us (myself, for example) who were quite used to the system of January and June exams (using June as a retake session if necessary), were very ready to biff Mr Gove right in his f....ehm..face. But, like he does, he slips under the radar for another few months.
The 'Educational Reform' Part 2
Boo! Suddenly, just after people have grudgingly accepted that there will only be June exams, Mr Gove shows us another trick he has up his sleeve. Just like a child messing about with a wind-up toy, Mr Gove announces yet more changes to education. From September 2015, both the GCSE and the A-Level will have exams at the end of the two year course. No chance for a resit, and a very bad situation indeed if you are ill during the only exam sitting you will be able to do of that qualification without going back two years. Oh dear god, I do not envy those who sit both GCSEs and A-Levels after September 2015.
Copyright (C) Morland
Conclusion
So, even though I have missed out a few of the things that Mr Gove has done, I think we can safely call him a complete imbecile for implementing these reforms. It does nothing to help students, universities are urging him to take back these changes, and teachers are voting no confidence in him. But he still won't see reason. As far as everybody is aware, when he is not announcing plans, he is sitting in a cave on Mars, with his eyes closed, and his fingers in his ears.
Further reading:
Student Finance Changes and Help - https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/overview
A-Level Reform letter from Gove to DfE - Ofqual Letter Alevels.pdf
GCSE Reform letter from Gove to DfE - ofqual letter.pdf
Videos:
Michael Gove on the Andrew Marr Show
Sources:
Graduate Salary (2011) - BBC News article
Browne Review - Wikipedia Article
Student Protests - Wikipedia Article
Tuition Fee Rise - BBC News article
Gove O-Level Plans - BBC News article
Gove Jan exams scrapped, resit overhaul - BBC News article
Gove make only one exam season - BBC News article
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