The Royal A level cock up!! NO heads have rolled, in fact they are rewarded

If ever this government wanted an excuse to subsidize with much less money, the Education system it is now a reality. This is thanks to the mess up by the Examinations dept.  as became increasingly apparent on Monday 26^th December 2011. They could have nipped the problem in the bud if they had any common sense, by cancelling the results and informing the public that they will reissue them once the problems were sorted.

This would have once and for all shut the critics up and would not become an issue. Instead, a litany of reasons was given for the errors, and also for not cancelling the results. These excuses grew at the same speed at which the criticism grew to cacophonic proportions, until now it is unbearable to hear how upset people are about it. The students who received the results are not sure if they are accurate and many have opted for the scripts to be re-corrected something that almost never happens in the UK O and Level systems which have now given the latter more credibility and the SL A levels a permanent black mark that will never be erased. Hence the automatic help this has given the International schools who teach children for foreign A levels.

One reason given for not cancelling results was that many students required results for their applications to overseas universities and inevitably these students have the wherewithal to go overseas. This is a political hot potato as it can be construed that the Govt. stranded local students in order to give a safe passage for rich students to enter foreign universities.

A committee has been appointed to look into this which does not bode well for any concrete outcome as blame will apportioned to some minor staff, such as 3 data entry operators as is the case today, with no proper action plan to tackle any recommendations. I am therefore against this waste of time and energy, as it will not lead to any proposals which are likely to pacify the thousands of students and parents who are really very upset about what has happened.

What can we do now? It is simply a case of making this a national issue, getting across to all walks of life to get onto the streets and express their displeasure to put the government on notice that they cannot act in this cavalier manner, and treat the lives of innocent kids in a very heavy handed way. Blame must be accepted at the top. The President of the country has been strangely silent. He is only vociferous when there are bragging rights. When there is criticism of the state he is strangely silent. That is something the general public MUST be apprised off.