Solidarity 567
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Solidarity Solidarity& Workers’ Liberty For a workers’ government For social ownership of the banks and industry ≫Boost NHS and care SCRAP GCSES ≫Full isolation pay for all ≫Public-health test-and-trace FORhe conference on 10 Octo2021- The main arguments against NOW! in England, the maths “tripos” Junior doctor strikes, 2016. Tber of the Socialist Educa- these exams and high-stakes in Cambridge, dates only from Pic: @g_for_gemma tional Association decided to tests were true before the pan- the mid-18th century. call on the government to stop demic. Extra arguments are One of its results was to set SATs and other high-stakes pri- added now. maths in England way behind mary assessments this year. It Students have lost three other big European countries Caption also demanded that moderated months already of the two in the 19th century, and for rea- teacher assessment be used in- years of frantic exam-cram- sons common to many exams: stead of examinations for GCSE ming which the English school they test only the ability to jump and A levels in 2021, and that system imposes as run-in to through exam-shape hoops, the Labour front bench take up its major exams. With mount- which may have little relevance that policy. ing virus infections, it is almost to life outside exams. They dis- The Scottish government has certain that they will lose more, tort learning, add unnecessary already decided to replaced through partial if not total stress, and above all function to Scotland’s equivalents of school shutdowns. label most students as relative GCSEs with moderated teacher The loss will be greater for “failures”. assessment. students from worse-off back- As G H Hardy put it when On 3 October the confer- grounds, who are more likely campaigning for the abolition ence of the NEU school work- to live in areas with high virus of the maths tripos: “exami- ers’ union voted to campaign rates, who lack the technology nations with reputations and for the replacement of SATs in and quiet space to study well standards and traditions seem See page 2 2021 by a system of moder- online from home, and whose to me mistaken in their princi- ated teacher assessment and families can’t pay for private tu- ple and useless or damaging a mixed model for GCSE and toring. in their effect... An examination A levels for 2021, including re- The exams should be can do little harm, so long as its duced content and moderated scrapped for next year on standard is low”. teacher assessment. grounds of justice and equality, Pass-fail tests to check com- The decision included a even if we thought them good petence at driving buses, or CURB COVID-19: commitment to ballot to boy- in general. doing electrical wiring, or cott SATs in 2021 if necessary. All of us have been “edu- working with percentages and It also recognised that GCSEs, cated” from childhood in the reading graphs and tables, are BTECs and A-Levels were unfit idea that courses of study must necessary for some jobs. They for purpose and committed to be defined and measured by an are useful as long as everyone USREVERSE presidential Azerbaijan and The history CUTS! of Deliveroo urgently developing and cam- exam as their aim. That is mise- knows that they are not the aim paigning for alternatives. ducation. and measure of education, and contest Armenia at war anti-vaxxism workers strike Really GCSEs should just be Schools and universities ex- not the way to sift out the excel- Interview with Howie Self-determination for From the right to Sheffield couriers out scrapped, with no replacement isted for hundreds of years be- lent from the competent. Hawkins, and debate Nagorno-Karabakh is query, to dangerous again 14-15 October at all. (Most countries manage fore modern exam systems. The Education should be for basis for peace anti-science with no comparable exam). first high-prestige exam system learning, not for exams. □ Pages 8-13 Pages 3, 4, 5 Page 7 Page 15 No. 567, 14 October 2020 50p/£1 workersliberty.org No. 567, 14 October 2020 50p/£1 workersliberty.org To curb virus: reverse the cuts! ernment’s supposedly more refined measures so far have been ineffective. Editorial Deaths are sure to rise in the winter (though maybe not to the levels of spring: Spain’s deaths have plateaued he UK’s virus infections are now ris- in the last three weeks). ing faster than France’s and Spain’s, T A lesson from the fact that infections and are at a higher level (relative to have spiked again after the spring and population) than Spain’s. summer lockdowns, though, is that The government’s measures, since in- lockdowns aren’t an answer. They only fections started rising fast again in early buy time for sustainable virus curbs, August, have had little effect. The Tories which are possible (some countries are set to close bars and cafés again, in have them, at least reasonably effective) large areas at least, and maybe soon for but demand a basis of social measures. a new lockdown similar to spring’s. In Ireland, which has a lower rate of infec- Social measures tion increase than the UK, the govern- It is the job of the labour movement to ment’s scientific advisers have already win those social measures — to reverse proposed a new general lockdown, not the cuts which the Tories have imposed yet implemented. since 2010, building on what Thatcher Lockdowns (with suitable arrange- did in the 1980s and has never been ments for furlough, rent holidays, etc.) reversed: may be necessary to pause explosive • Full isolation pay for all. Adequate spread. They are clumsy, but the gov- furlough or retraining pay that people ters) made it look possible that a spread itable marginal risks of a new vaccine. are not forced into insecure, unsafe of immunity from previous infection It is possible that none of the 180 or so jobs sufficient that chains of transmission vaccine projects under way will “work”. • Publicly-provided alternative hous- become short and die out might come Probably, though, at least one of Hospitals refuse ing for those quarantining, and for with much less than the 60% or 70% them will, at least to some extent. Even those in overcrowding overall infection rate indicated by naive if most young people will eventually sick pay • Bring elderly care (both in care- calculations. The fact that the second get Covid-19 some time over the com- Freedom of Information request homes and domiciliary) into the public surge has been strong in the previously ing years, slowing that spread to give A from supporters of the Safe and sector, with staff on union-agreed pub- highest-infected areas like Madrid tells time for vaccine development, for even Equal campaign in Redbridge Trades lic-sector pay and conditions us: no, not so. incremental improvements in Covid-19 Council has found that Barking, Red- • Expand the NHS by nationalising • Hugely to improve protection for treatment, and for social improvements bridge and Havering University Hos- and integrating the private hospitals, elderly people in social care is certainly to be won and kick in, is good. pitals NHS Trust (BRHUT) is in breach and giving NHS workers the 15% pay possible. To lock away the many older It is down to the labour movement of government instructions to ensure rise they demand or less-healthy people not in care from to win social provision. We’ve allowed all healthcare staff have rights to full • Public-health test-and-trace, in younger family, friends, workmates, the Tories to waste the July-August sick and isolation pay. place of the Tories’ Serco mess and comrades, and for years, is unwork- virus lull with only ineffectual tokens on “Bank” (casual) staff working at the • Increase funding for schools, so able and undemocratic. issues like isolation pay and test-and- Trust, which includes King George they can recruit extra staff, get more • A vaccine will not be a magic bullet. trace organisation. Hospital in Goodmayes and Queen’s space, and fix deficient ventilation, as It will only be partially effective. There We need to make up time now. Re- Hospital in Romford, are only enti- well as “thinning out” school days by are even good reasons against giving it verse the cuts! □ tled to Statutory Sick Pay at £95.85 putting students on shorter timetables to young people, for whom the risks of a week if they have to isolate follow- • Workers’ control of workplace Covid-19 may be smaller than the inev- ing public health guidance. Most of safety. these staff are nurses, i.e. working There are many factors about the directly with patients. countries which have kept virus levels On 27 March, Department of low, but one is the existence or survival of more social solidarity and social pro- Lessons from Spain Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and NHS Improve- vision. really enjoyed working in the NHS”, ment, Public Health England (PHE), The Great Barrington Declaration, “I said a Spanish nurse quoted by Health Education England and NHS proposing that lockdowns be replaced the Financial Times on 7 October.”You Employers put out a joint statement by targeted shielding of the vulnerable, get longer holidays, more breaks. And “stating staff should receive full pay has been taken up by right-wingers. workers’ rights are much better”. whilst in self-isolation. This includes Some of its arguments have weight. His comment tells us less about ex- bank staff and sub-contractors...” Very long lockdowns (say two years, to cellences in the NHS and more about This admission that the Trust is take a calculation from the Netherlands problems in Spain.