A former island headteacher’s concerns about a proposed bill has received a response from the Education Minister.

Harry Galbraith, a previous head of Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel, recently told the Isle of Man Examiner that he thinks the new proposed Education Bill ’focuses on control’ rather than on students and the teaching.

His concerns included having the Department of Education, Sport and Culture prescribe a curriculum for schools to follow instead of leaving this in the hands of the headteacher and staff. He asked who was designing the curriculum and whether they had the right experience and knowledge.

Other issues raised were about section 22, which outlines penalties for head teachers and governors who have not complied with directions under the bill.

’If the department has appointed highly qualified men and women to run its schools, why does it need to impose such rigid levels of control over those that it has appointed?’ he wrote in a letter to Chief Minister Howard Quayle.

Mr Galbraith, who became the permanent head of QEII in 1985, said that he didn’t understand why headteachers no longer had control over school expenses and why schools have more clerical staff.

He added that he believes the department has put pressure on teachers with the amount of paperwork needed to be done. ’There’s far too much. It’s what they do in the classrooms that matters,’ he said.

Minister of Education Graham Cregeen MHK said: ’The Education Bill is a vital piece of work to modernise our education system and we are continuing to work with teaching unions and other stakeholders to gather feedback following the consultation.

’I am aware of Mr Galbraith’s recent article in relation to the proposed Education Bill.

’I understand Mr Galbraith retired as headteacher from QEII school prior to the current Education Act 2001. He raises concerns about section 22, however, this section largely reflects the provisions that currently exist and were introduced in the Education Act 2001.

’The Bill proposes to continue the current curriculum approach in schools which has been in place since the Education (Curriculum) Order 2004.

’It does not specify content, however, and the specific detail of each school’s curriculum is a matter for the headteachers to decide and this is then quality assured by specialist education officers in the department.’