KELLY'S "AYE" ON PRIVATE SCHOOLS

10-01-2007

The decision by Communities Minister Ruth Kelly to send her son with special educational needs to a private school continues to attract comment. Derrick Campbell wonders what all the fuss is about.

Here we go again - a new devastating scandal to rock the nation. Oh no! Guess what, one our MP's has decided to look out for her child and has put us all at risk of a nuclear holocaust. Not!

Please, What is wrong with this country?

Is it hypocritical to send your children to a state school while paying for extra private tuition? Does resorting to private tutors mean you have no confidence in state education? If so, then there are plenty of hypocrites out there - and they ain't all government ministers.

Or is all the fuss about Ruth Kelly's child going private just political opportunism, allowing commentators to stick the boot in by spouting their favourite prejudices about what's going wrongin the classroom ?

There is nothing wrong with a parent wanting to do the right thing for their children; I applaud Ruth Kelly for being a parent first of all who has taken the decision to pay that bit extra for the support of her child because she can afford too.

Yes I accept that there is a whiff of hypocrisy lurking in the wings, particularly from a government that came to power on the mantra of education , education, education and then went on to introduce top up fees ensuring that the rich get on and poor get left behind.

But that's hardly Ruth Kelly's fault; she may have been Education Secretary but no one believes that she was actually pulling the strings.

So come on people lets give her a break, if you want to send your children to private school you know what you can do….take out a bank loan quickly before the interest rates go up again, and stop moaning.