The head of the CBI says a date must be set in the next five years to scrap GCSEs and introduce an exam system with equal status for vocational subjects.
John Cridland, director general of the employers' group, says England's exam system is narrow and out of date. He proposes a system in which the most important exams would be A-levels, including both academic and vocational subjects, taken at the age of 18. Ministers are pushing for all pupils to take a core group of academic GCSEs.
"By the end of this parliament, I want to see the date for the last GCSEs circled in the secretary of state's diary," said Mr Cridland, who warns of a "false choice" between academic and vocational lessons. In a speech at the annual Festival of Education at Wellington College, Mr Cridland will set out an employers' blueprint for improving schools. He says that for too long "we've just pretended" to have an exam system that values vocational education, when in practice, exams have operated as stepping stones towards a university degree.
"GCSEs are past their sell-by date and should be retired." He says that the only purpose they serve now is to allow measurement of schools through league tables.
The proposal to scrap GCSEs comes as ministers are pushing for an even greater emphasis on academic GCSEs, with plans for all pupils to have to take core academic subjects. This announcement "misses the point that we need curriculum reform, not just exam reform", says the CBI chief. "The government must make a start on a full review of 14-to-18 education by the end of the summer."
How I feel about the news article:
I understand where John Cridland is coming from because many teachers at secondary schools are very concerned about their league tables which may be one of the reasons they pressure their students to do so well in their GCSE's. However, I believe they should not be removed as they are quite important for progression to A-levels and secondary school may be a waste of time if there are no exams at the end of the five years.
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