We’ll write off debt we gave you

Blair and education secretary David Blunkett have announced plans to deal with the chronic shortage of teachers. They are to write off, over ten years, the student debt of university graduates who become maths or language teachers.

But at the same time the government has just ruled out an across the board increase of £2,000 for all teachers, which would help attract people into teaching.

And university leavers would not have such big debts in the first place if New Labour hadn’t introduced tuition fees and abolished the grant just weeks after being elected.