Ɖ Gardịn vy on ɖ pandemic’s edyceśnl impact: mc gd lrnñlosz
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 24 Nov. 2022)
Incrisñ numbrz v prîṃri-ej pyplz r misñ targits. Nrṣriz az wel az scūlz nīd rzorsz t cać p
Ʈrzde 24 Nvmbr 2022
Ćildṛn in Ñgḷnd śd hv lrnt t rīd bî ej sevn. Gvn an ej-aproprịt bc, ɖe r xpctd t b ebl t foc̣s on unḍstandñ – hu ɖ stori z abt, ẃt z haṗnñ – rɖr ɖn xpnd eḟt on sǎndñ ǎt indivijl wrdz. Litṛsi, ńmṛsi n sośl n fizicl scilz r ɖ blocs on ẃć ol lrnñ z bilt. So it z cnsrnñ ɖt ɖ lêtist rsrć on ɖ pandemic’s ifcts śoz ɖt ɖ numbr v vri lo atenrz in rīdñ, in ɖ ʈrd yir v scūlñ, hz mor ɖn tripld.
In a sampl v 6,000 pyplz fṛm 81 scūlz, ɖ pṛporśn hu fél b’lo xpctd levlz rouz fṛm 2.6% t 9.1% btwn 2017 n ɖs yir. Ɖr wz olso a marct dclîn in maʈs, wɖ vri lo atenrz incrisñ fṛm 2.6% t 5.5% v ɖ totl. Ẃl ɖr wr sm sînz v a rcuṿri in ɖ 12 munʈs t sprñ 2022 – a pirịd ẃn scūlz rmend opn, wɖ caćup scīmz in ples – ɖ hed v ɖ Edyceśn-Indǎmnt Fǎndeśn, Pṛf. Beci Fransis, sz ɖt iniqoḷti xasbetd bî ɖ pandemic z nǎ ɖ “bigist ćalinj” fesñ scūlz oṿol.
In retṛspect, Boris Jonsn’z rfyzl t fund ɖ postpandemic pacij rec̣mndd bî ɖ xprt hîrd fr ɖ prṗs in 2021, Sr Cevn Colinz, lcs īvn mor śortsîtd n mīn-mîndd ɖn it dd at ɖ tîm. Mr Jonsn ofrd les ɖn 10% v ɖ £15bn ɖt Sr Cevn sd wz nīdd. Hǎ mć betr fr ɖ guvnmnt t hv invstd in ɖ fyćr ɖen, bî ptñ in ples a comprihnsiv rcuṿripacij.
Instd, scūlz wr left hî n drî, lacñ ɖ rzorsz t mc p fr lost lrnñ n t s’port ɖ ćildṛn most trubld bî ɖ dsrupśn. Īvn ɖ naśnl tyṭrñprogram wz boćt frst tîm rnd, wɖ ɖ contract gvn t a prîṿt cumṗni ɖt cd nt dlivr. Uɖr rsrć, includñ fṛm Ofsted, hz śoun ɖt vri yuñ ćildṛn wr amñ ɖ wrst afctd bî ɖ pandemic, wɖ incrist sośl n imośnl dificltiz n dlez. Unṣprîzñli, evidns pônts t ɖ most sirịs consiqnsz biyñ sufrd bî ɖoz hu olrdi hd līst – n hu spent locdǎnz in oṿcrǎdd hǎzñ, wɖ adults hu wr les ebl t s’port ɖm.
Agnst ɖs bacdrop, ɖ incris in scūlfundñ promist ɖs munʈ bî ɖ ćanslr, Jeṛmi Hunt, ofrd sm rlif. An adiśnl £2.3bn a yir fr tū yirz z xpctd t brñ fundñ bac t rufli ẃr it wz in 2010 – n mīnz tīćrz’ pe rîzz wl no longr hv t b fundd via cuts. Bt ɖ dsiźn t plug ɖ gap in scūlz’ bujits ẃl ignorñ nrṣriz n frɖr edyceśn coḷjz z unfgiṿbl. Yirz v reṭric fṛm s’xesiv ministrz abt scilz, n ny voceśnl rùts az oltrṇtivz t yṇvrṣti, hv bn xpozd az hot er.
Edyceśnl dvîdz r starc. Īvn bfr ɖ pandemic, eḟts at clozñ ɖ gap btwn ćildṛn fṛm wlʈi n pur hǎsholdz hd stōld. Ɖ rli-yirz sectr wl nīd invstmnt f ɖs z t ćenj. So wl pṛviźn fr pyplz wɖ speśl nīdz. Ɖ pyplprīmịm śd olso incris, t gv scūlz wɖ ɖ most dprîvd intecs adiśnl rzorsz. Mor mst b dn t rcrūt, rten n moṭvet tīćrz. Ɖ damij ròt bî Covid-19 z obvịs. Bt ɖ Cnsrṿtivz d nt hv a gd stori t tel sevn-yir-olds, or enwn els, abt ẃt hz hapnd t scūlz in Ñgḷnd ʈrt ɖer yirz in ofis.
