"It is too late to save Becta now that the new Conservative-Liberal coalition has signed the warrant. But what can and should be rescued and how can the core essentials be carried on? Devolution of decision making down to individual and institutional levels must not mean the loss of collective knowledge and understanding of what works in ICT for further education and skills."
Seb Schmoller of ALT talked to FE News about the demise of Becta, read the full article.
1 comment:
Seb's piece contains much wisdom and is nicely judged, maintaining a balance as it does between regret at Becta's demise and a view of what colleagues (and especially an organisation like ALT) might do to fill the gap. I have no doubt that ALT is supremely well-placed and -supported to undertake this
work. There is cause for members' optimism.
However I would like to add a note of bitterness about the actual treatment of Becta.
It will not save money. A minority of schools and colleges (and the MANY other education and training settings served by Becta) will have the wherewithal to manage alone related research, advice, decision-making and implementation. And no doubt some are rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of the dosh to be made from others' ignorance in the world of educational technology.
But save money? The closure means that a community asset is destroyed - and then has to be reproduced by multiple separate efforts. This actually costs us more in time and money and opportunity cost. It is a reworking of 'public squalor/private affluence'.
Why? It is a deeply ideological decision. Not many Daily Mail readers will be intimate with the superb things done by Becta since it was founded as NCET in 1967. It will satisfy the Con Dem blood lust to burn some quangos (although Becta is NOT a quango).
It was, of course, part of the package of 'savings' - announced by the late unlamented David Laws as his contribution to five years of Eton Mess - and marked the start of a war to make poorer people pay for the chaos created by an economic system 'managed' by richer people.
The answer? Although most are pessimistic that Becta can be saved (and 240 good people wil lose their jobs) there are voices in opposition, some with clout and influence. Colleagues will need to decide whether they join in this battle or just 'pick up the pieces'.
Me? I think it's a terrible act of educational vandalism and am glad that lots of people are saying so and have already started the fight-back for values of decency and 'real' educational technology.
So how do we save money? We don't ask those who didn't cause the problem to pay - but we could start by asking the war criminals in political parties and their allies in outsourcing organisations who supported the war on Iraq to cough up. http://costofwar.com/
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