Our educational system in Great Britain has degraded in quality for a long time. Without a decent system in place, which works, we cannot have a country to be proud of, which is a major part of the international community - be that in research, in business or in any field. For this article, I should look more specifically at our current system of GCSEs. As I am going through these this summer, they would be the natural area to concentrate on.

Firstly, we should consider the implications of allowing the multiple educational exam boards and different syllabi. With this as the case, we are allowing what is essentially competition between these boards, and converting the entire system to one that follows capitalism - too many have to pay the boards for their qualifications (be that for the certificates or the exams). Furthermore, with such different syllabi, one can never assume that a person holding a GCSE in a subject knows anything - it may be on one syllabus, but not another. It makes it incredibly difficult to know what level of knowledge anyone holds, nor is there a standard “unit” anymore.

Furthermore, we can certainly look at the issues of having a system where those who undertake GCSEs are actually taught incorrect information. This can be seen especially in the sciences, where topics from the structure of the atom to Newton’s laws of force and motion. How can we, as a nation, improve our reputation in education and give our children meaningful qualifications if they are taught incorrect information?

Clearly, a reformation is needed. An entirely new education system, which enriches not only the pupils undertaking it, but by extension the entire country. How long will we have to wait before our children are given the quality of education that they deserve?