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FIRST a declaration of interests:
I spent 44 of my 49 years of working life in education; twenty five of them in secondary schools, hence my interest in the action, or more correctly, the inaction, of the National Education Union (NEU) in defending the teachers at Batley Grammar School.
The National Education Union (NEU) is determined to avoid any scrutiny by the media of what is actually happening at the school by claiming that the matter is close to being resolved. Not only is scrutiny by the media unwelcome but the NEU is keeping its own members in the dark, members who pay their union subscriptions in the hope that if their livelihood and well being come under attack for any reason connected with their employment, the union will defend them.
The events which have led to one teacher going into hiding in fear of his life took place on 22 March. A group of parents demanding that he be sacked and they be allowed to determine the contents of the Religious Studies curriculum began to demonstrate in the days following as was widely reported at the time.
The May/June 2021 edition of ‘educate’ the magazine published bimonthly by the NEU contains a four page report of the online annual conference held between 7 and 9 April including a short 150 word piece which uses the words ‘free speech’ no less than four times, but no mention of the goings on at Batley Grammar School, though there was plenty of time for a piece to be included and members informed of the union’s stance.
Donald Trump was widely attacked in the media by those who uphold basic democratic values for his unwillingness to condemn those who peddle extremist philosophies. When it comes to making an unequivocal statement utterly condemning the behaviour of those who have brought about this threat to the life of one of the teachers concerned and who continue to try to dictate to our society what should be taught in our schools, the NEU has shown itself to be an abject failure and an apology for a union. Insisting that those of us who are not followers of Islam should be forced to follow any of its precepts is an extremist philosophy. It is not ‘Islamophobic’ to say so and it is time NEU said so.
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A short time after the above article appeared today (Sunday) I came across an item which appeared in the Daily Telegraph on 12 May. It claimed that a student teacher at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) had e-mailed his course leader on 1 April as follows “I have been watching the scenes and response to what happened at Batley Grammar School recently and I am extremely concerned about the cowardly response from the unions and other bodies connected to teaching. I would like to know whether or not MMU is prepared to stand up for any student who finds themselves in a similar position… I would not hesitate to use drawings of any religious figure, including Mohammed, and I certainly will not bow to any pressure from protests, and I would like to think that my university will stand with me.”
No reply was received but a month later the student was contacted by the head of the teacher education department and told he must attend a “fitness to practise cause for concern meeting.” This could result in his being called to a Fitness to Practise Panel meeting which in turn could result in him not being allowed to teach. When he requested an explanation he was told it “specifically relates to the Prophet Mohammed” and the “particular sensitivities relating to drawings of him that do not exist for many other religious figures.”
Perhaps the spokesman for the MMU who said “the university has always supported and championed freedom of speech”, should have added, ”But we do expect you to censor yourself!”. There’s a lot of it about
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