Britain’s Potemkin Education system continues to fail, by Peter Mullen.

All shall run and all shall win prizes, and even those who don’t run shall receive prizes.

That’s how it is in the UK’s state education system. You think I’m just a nasty elitist being sarcastic? Well, don’t listen to me. Listen to Sally Collier, chief regulator of examinations at OFQUAL:

“All our kids are brilliant.”

That is a remark of outstanding idiocy even in the hyperbolic world of state education bureaucracy. …

To tell those – the majority, actually – who are not brilliant that they are is a lie and a disastrous disservice to the pupils themselves. The Telegraph revealed the cynical teachers’ union serving truth yesterday (the 25th August) that the pass rate was 20% for maths, with some examination boards setting it as low as 15%. …

According to TIMSS the international monitor of educational standards throughout the world, in mathematics England ranks 10th … in science we are 15th … in literacy we have slipped to 23rd.

While only three countries pay their teachers more than we do.

Six countries spend more than 6% of GDP on education: Portugal spends 6.1%; USA 6.2%; Norway 6.3%; Denmark 6.4%; New Zealand 6.5%.

Guess which country spends the highest percentage of GDP on education?

Because you’re brilliant, you will know that it’s the UK of course with 6.7%

Not much bang for the buck, or should that be “not much performance for the pound”?

hat-tip Stephen Neil