EDUCATION/COUNCIL VOICE
www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 14th June 2014
Gove calls for enforcement of British Values after Trojan Horse revelations
Michael Gove
card design competition and Christmas parties were cancelled at the school. Park View At Academy, its sister secondary school, a madrassa curriculum was introduced in some lessons. Officials reportedly said that they saw posters in Arabic in most of the classrooms and corridors advertising the virtues of prayer, while teachers told them that loudspeakers in the school were used to broadcast the call to prayer. Golden Hillock, a secondary school run by the same trust, was among several accused of reportedly doing “too little to keep students safe from
the risks associated with extremist views”. Saltley, another secondary school, was said by Ofsted to be “in a state of crisis”, with governors interfering with the dayto-day running of the school and undermining the work of the head and senior teachers.
Governors reportedly paid private investigators to check the emails of senior staff and spent £55,000 “unnecessarily” on a private solicitor. The Ofsted report also described a “culture of fear” among some head teachers who were marginalised or even forced out from some Birmingham schools as governors pushed through changes effectively turning them into strictly orthodox Muslim schools. Nasir Harif, who has a nine-year-old son at Oldknow Academy, reportedly said the school was providing an excellent education. “Ofsted have gone in there with a preset agenda,” he said. He did say that the school had a “very subtle Islamic ethos” but said it encouraged moral values such as honesty, trustworthiness and justice, not extremist beliefs. But Mr Gove has remained steadfast on his decision to enforce the promotion of British values in schools. He reportedly told the Commons on Monday, “We will put the promotion of British values at the heart of what every school has to deliver for children. What we have found was unacceptable. And we will put it right.” A Department for Education source also reportedly told a national Daily that all schools would be required to promote mutual respect and tolerance of those with different religions, as well as freedom, the rule of law and democracy. This would include an understanding that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in British law and that detrimental or discriminatory behaviour is not acceptable.
Fresh Dosa....... Fresh Dosa......Fresh Dosa.......
Enjoy fresh DOSA in your own garden We prepare variety of Fresh Dosa at your place for your guests. NATIONWIDE SERVICE
We cater for any occasion any where in the UK for Engagement, Mahendi night and any other occassion (minimum 50 people)
Ring for more details
Fresh Dosa.... Fresh Dosa.... Fresh Dosa.... Fresh Dosa...
Fresh Dosa.... Fresh Dosa.... Fresh Dosa.... Fresh Dosa...
British values of liberty and tolerance will be enforced into schools from September after a series of reports, carried out by revealed on Ofsted, Monday, how strict Islamic ideology had been imposed on schools. The investigation, undertaken by Ofsted under the direction of Sir Michael Wilshaw, revealed that several Birmingham schools had been targeted by Muslims in an organised campaign to alter their “character and ethos”. The investigation comes after Ofsted carried out inspections at 21 schools in Birmingham following allegations of a “Trojan horse” plot in which hardline Muslims were attempting to take control of schools. It has emerged that five Birmingham schools are to be taken into special measures after Ofsted found that they had exposed children to extreme Islamist beliefs. It declared that Park View, Nansen, Golden Hillock, Oldknow and Saltley were inadequate and needed measures to special improve. They also said that another 12 schools needed to improve. The E d u c a t i o n Funding Agency, part of the Department for Education, which monitors academies, also published critical reports on the Park View trust schools and Oldknow. According to the report, Oldknow Academy, a large primary school in Small Heath, Birmingham, contributed £50,000 for a school trip to Mecca, Saudi Arabia and cancelled Christmas whilst visits to local churches, synagogues and Sikh gurdwaras were phased out, and the Christmas tree, Christmas
n Opeys a
7 daeek w
07748 63 62 64 549 High Road Wembley, Middx HAO 2DJ 020 8902 1515 www.sarashwathy.com P u r e V e ge t a r i a n S o ut h I n di a n R e s t a u ra n t
South Indian / Punjabi & Chinese
11
'Soft' GCSEs and A-levels to be scrapped, Ofqual says
Attempts to integrate young Muslims into mainstream national culture and blow the cloak of the so-called Trojan Horse conspiracy, have been overshadowed by the unlikely clash between Mr Gove and Theresa May, the Home Secretary last week. Both clashed over policy and aired their differences on how best to deal with Islamic extremism, with Mr Gove accusing the Home Office of a reluctance to confront extremism until it resulted in violence. Mr Gove's announcement is being welcomed by the Asian community, who understand the fundamental meaning of British values as being all inclusive of all faiths and traditions as well as a certain tolerance of every religion. This universal set of British values, a belief in democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance, mutual respect and gender equality, should be wholeheartedly promoted amongst children and provide the pillar to their education. The schools that choose to defy these British values need to be dealt with caution, whether that means facing the very hardliners in question or restructuring the administration.
Ofqual, the exams watchdog, has said that certain 'soft' GCSEs and A-levels such as home economics, performing arts and humanities, will be scrapped while others including media studies and ICT will be be made tougher as part of a major shake-up of the exams system. Ofqual published a list, on Friday 4 June, of dozens of “unusual” courses that will be scrapped in the next three years because of concerns they lack academic rigour. All subjects should be “similar in overall demand” but at least 43 currently fall below the requirement, the regulator said. Qualifications to be cut in England include a GCSE in home economics, which is sat by more than 32,000 pupils a year, and an A-level in film studies taken by almost 9,000 teenagers. Other subjects identified include performing arts, humanities, applied science, human biology and environmental studies. Ofqual has also told exam boards that they must radically toughen up 73 other courses including ancient histo-
ry, business studies, classical civilisation, general economics, studies, law, media studies and psychology. The move forms part of Michael Gove’s plan to dramatically toughen up GCSEs and A-levels to place a renewed emphasis on traditional subject knowledge and prepare pupils for the demands of university and the workplace. He has called for exams to be “more challenging, more ambitious and more rigorous” than those introduced under Labour. Other GCSEs to be axed are digital communication, expressive arts, electronics, manufacturing, engineering, humanities, applied science, additional applied science, environmental science, environmental and land-based science and human health and physiology.
OUR NATURE “What I talk about is very simple, not complicated, because it is about you. Simple as it is, it’s worth observing what our nature is. Why is it that when you are content, when you are happy, you actually become kind? You forgive. If someone cuts in front of you on the road, it’s okay. When you are not content, when you are frustrated, if someone cuts in front of you, you honk your horn. Contentment, peace, joy, fulfillment - when we have that, we actually act and react to things totally differently. How we talk, how we react, how we actually cope with problems is totally different. But when something inside is not fulfilled, any little thing becomes intolerable. The idea of peace did not start yesterday. This goal was set a long, long time ago. Civilisations are very proud of what they have achieved, but that goal that was established a long time ago for the whole humanity has not been achieved. Going to the moon has been accomplished. But peace has been ignored. Peace is the responsibility and charge of every single human being. It is that individual peace which needs to be sought, acknowledged and achieved in this lifetime. Where is that contentment? It is within you. What you are looking for is within you. Look within. Listen to your longing without fear. There is only one life – many days, but one life. From the bottom of your heart, enjoy every single day. It is the most priceless thing there is. Every breath that comes into you – you cannot buy it, you cannot exchange it, you cannot give it. It is yours.” ~ Pr em R aw at
Live Event With Mr Prem Rawat in Wembley Arena, London (UK) Date: Sunday, 29th June 2014 Time: 6:30pm
Further details: www.wopg.org/en/events
SONY SAB TV – Watch: ”Words Of Peace” in Hindi. Every SUNDAY at 8:00am In English: Tuesday 8:00pm on SKY channel 212 and FREESAT channel 401, repeated Saturday 5:30pm
UK Info Lines: 08450 76 77 78 Hindi: 0845 387 0009; www.wopg.org www.tprf.orga