Kennedy promises 21,000 new teachers
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has promised that the Lib Dems would employ 21,000 new primary teachers if they are elected.
In placing education at the centre of the Liberal Democrats’ election manifesto Mr Kennedy has set up a head-on challenge with Labour by picking a subject that both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have claimed as central to their campaign for re-election.
Launching his party’s election manifesto today, Mr Kennedy promised to employ 21,000 new primary school teachers in order to cut class sizes and give all children an equal start in life.
This would reduce average class sizes from 27 to 25 pupils per teacher in primary schools, while classes at infant schools will drop to 20 pupils from 25, he said.
The Lib Dems believe that the reduction will give teachers more time to deal with individual pupils so that problems can be addressed more quickly and children are not left behind.
Mr Kennedy proposed to pay for these extra teachers by abolishing Labour’s proposals to continue with its £1.5 billion Child Trust Fund (CTF) scheme.
Describing the CTF as “expensive” and “unnecessary”, he claimed that, instead of “locking money away”, his party will provide for children’s future by investing in their needs now.
He also promised to reduce the “grind of bureaucracy” that teachers currently face, so that they spend more time with pupils and less dealing with paperwork.
The Liberal Democrats have already pledged to create a system of free access to higher education for university students by promising to scrap both tuition and top-up fees.
The Liberal Democrats full election manifesto is expected to be launched on Tuesday.
