来源：《卫报》
原文刊登日期：2023年1月10日
The view of teaching as a lifelong commitment has become a rarity in the UK. Recruitment and retention of staff is recognised as a problem by policymakers. But with teachers in Scotland already on strike, and the results of other strike ballots awaited, the sense of crisis is mounting. Figures show that of the 270,000 teachers who qualified in England between 2011 and 2020, 81,000 have already left the profession. One consequence of this high dropout rate is that the average age of teachers in England is much lower than in comparable countries. Just 18% are over 50; the average figure across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is 34%.
在英国，把教书当作终身事业的观点已经变得很少见。政策制定者认为，招聘和留住老师是一个问题。但由于苏格兰的教师已经开始罢工，其他罢工投票的结果还在等待，危机感正在加剧。数据显示，在2011年至2020年期间，英国有27万人取得了教师资格，其中8.1万人已经离开了这一职业。高转行率的一个后果是，英国教师的平均年龄远低于其他可比国家。只有18%的教师超过50岁；经济合作与发展组织的平均数字为34%。
Pay is not the only reason why schools are failing to find and hold on to staff. Workloads and changes to the nature of the work are also relevant. But pay is central to the current crisis. In real terms, the pay of education professionals has fallen sharply since 2009.
薪酬并不是学校无法找到并留住教师的唯一原因。工作量和工作性质的变化也是相关的。但薪酬是当前危机的核心。按实际价值计算，自2009年以来，教育从业人员的工资大幅下降。
The 8.9% increase to teachers’ starting salaries announced last year was a positive move – though it has now been overtaken by price rises. But the 5% rise offered to experienced teachers is not enough. Teaching ought to be an attractive profession. Children have their whole lives ahead of them. But the work is demanding, and the contrast with other graduate jobs has been heightened since the pandemic, with many professionals now allowed to work more flexibly and from home.
去年宣布的教师起薪8.9%的增长是一个积极的举措——尽管现在已经被物价上涨超过了。但是给有经验的教师5%的加薪是不够的。教书应该是一个有吸引力的职业。孩子们还有很长的路要走。这项工作要求很高，自疫情以来，与其他毕业生工作的对比加剧，许多职业现在被允许更灵活地在家工作。
That headteachers are also being balloted over strike action is an indication of just how bad the situation has become. In one survey, 87% of heads said their mental health had suffered. Such alarming statistics demand a considered and compassionate response from ministers. While teachers have so far not been directly threatened with a ban on strike action, the anti-union rhetoric from No 10 can only inflame tensions. Since forcing people to teach is not an option, the government must rethink its failed approach. No one should want schools to close or lessons to be cancelled, but ministers’ high-handed approach is to blame for the present impasse.
校长们也在投票决定罢工，这表明情况已经变得多么糟糕。在一项调查中，87%的校长说他们的心理健康受到了影响。这些令人震惊的统计数据要求部长们做出深思熟虑和富有同情心的回应。虽然到目前为止，教师们还没有受到禁止罢工的直接威胁，但来自唐宁街10号的反工会言论只会加剧紧张局势。既然强迫教师教学是行不通的，政府必须重新考虑其失败的做法。没有人希望学校关闭或课程取消，但部长们的高压手段是目前僵局的罪魁祸首。