Clarke condemns ‘old fashioned’ Prince
Education Secretary Charles Clarke has condemned Prince Charles as “old fashioned” for comments he made about the education system.
Mr Clarke made his comments on Radio 4’s Today Programme after he was asked for his opinion on a memo written by the Prince complaining about a learning culture that teaches people “to think they are qualified to do things far beyond their technical capabilities” without having any “natural ability”.
He said: “To be quite frank I think he is very old-fashioned and out of time and he doesn’t understand what is going on in the British education system at the moment.”
The Prince’s views came to light via a memo to his personal assistant disclosed at an industrial tribunal hearing involving former member of staff Elaine Day.
She had complained to him about her prospects for promotion.
He wrote: “What is wrong with people now? Why do they all seem to think they are qualified to do things far beyond their technical capabilities?
“This is to do with the learning culture in schools as a consequence of a child-centred system which admits no failure. People seem to think they can all be pop stars, high court judges, brilliant TV personalities or infinitely more competent heads of state without ever putting in the necessary work or having natural ability.”
Mr Clarke warned the Prince, who earlier this week sent a similar message to a colleges’ conference, to “think carefully before intervening in that debate”.
