In the cabinet reshuffle, less than a year before the next general election, Gove is replaced by Nicky Morgan.
Posted: 10/03/2022
Whilst many in the education establish are pleased for Gove to go and
hopeful for the future, it remains to be seen what Morgan’s priorities will be
for education, whether she will listen more to education professionals, and how
she will support the arts as part of a well rounded education system.
Wikipedia
claims that she is married to an architect and ‘enjoys cooking, skiing and
the cinema’. Hopefully, she will see the value of how arts education informs
British success in both film and architecture industries.
The Independent reports that Morgan will ‘reach
out’ more to teachers following on from recent strikes. There is a general
feeling that Morgan’s appointment is an attempt to soften the animosity towards
current education policy. As Gaby Hinsliff tweets ‘Swapping Gove for @nickymorgan01
is a sign that govt might like some teachers to vote for them, one day.
Sensible, pragmatic, unscary…’ but also ‘…don’t expect her
to change ideological direction (it’s kind of all there anyway) but to present
it in a less confrontational way.’ We have been warned, and it is
still important to keep advocating for the arts rightful place in education.
Nicky Morgan, the MP for
Loughborough, and was recently appointed as minister for Women and Equities when
Maria Miller left her post. Her education role will be in addition to these
responsibilities.
Huffington Post report on Twitter comments here
National Union of Teachers NUT comments here
