Teacher agency strikes wrong note

IN READING Anthea Millett's reply to lan Kane "Important tasks for the TTA" I was immediately reminded of one of D. H. Lawrence's lines: "Never trust the artist. Trust the tale."

There will be loud hoots of derision in departments of education at her statement that the TTA does ". . . not fight shy of making tough and uncompromising decisions when it comes to matters of quality". This sits rather uneasily with its recent proposal to create a graduate teaching scheme within which it will be possible for graduates teaching in secondary and primary schools to qualify in three months.

She then goes on to say that the TTA's approach has been typified by a partnership approach. What is not stated is who that partnership is with. It certainly is not with the teacher educators but with her political masters at the Department for Education and Employment Her job is to run a quango for the Government and that is precisely what she is doing. To suggest that Ian Kane does not speak for teacher educators is really quite risible. Had he been democratically voted in by members of all HEIs then perhaps he could lay claim to some mandate for reflecting their views. Oh, but then of course he was. From where does Ms Millett's claim to speak for teacher educators come?

STEWART BUCHANAN Dean of education, University of Central England.