Industry News
Exam board criticises diploma scheme
Posted on 18th April 2008
A government initiative to replace A-levels with more practical based diplomas has been criticised by a leading exam board.
In an interview with the Guardian yesterday (April 17th), the managing director of Edexcel Jerry Jarvis said that the diplomas may be too demanding for students and that teachers had not been provided with enough training.
He said this could lead to students being left with "worthless" qualifications unless flaws were immediately addressed and corrected.
"If the diploma doesn't earn its spurs as a qualification, and that means respect from employers, pupils, parents and higher education, we face a serious problem," he said.
Mr Jarvis added that the operation posed a "huge educational risk" to the UK.
It has emerged today that the original target of 40,000 pupils taking the diploma had been scaled back to approximately 30,000.
Schools minister Jim Knight told the Guardian: ?We would not tolerate any sacrifice of quality in order to achieve numbers."