subject: Is UK over paying its teachers? [print this page] While there were rumblings that the teaching community in the country especially head teachers were being paid huge salaries, the 276, 523 pounds package for the year paid to Mark Elms the head teacher at a primary school in South London brought the issue into sharper focus. The GMB union which brought this to light claims that it has a list of several heads of schools drawing salary packages of 150,000 pounds and more. It should however be noted that Mr Elm's salary for serving as the head teacher works to only 82,000 pounds, he received more than 100,000 pounds separately for his work towards improving neighbouring schools under City Challenge a government educational program. This fact assumes importance since the GMB union going into wages of head teachers should not miss the fact that the additional earnings cannot be viewed as part of the salary and it is not a constant income. The GMB union officer's expression of dismay over a head teacher drawing more than the country's Prime Minister seems unwarranted and not relevant to the issue of the teaching community being paid high wages as it is very debatable whether it is the Prime Minister or the teacher who deserves to be paid more.
The fact is that the teaching community has seen a significant rise in wages across the world, a trend that is being welcomed by many as a step in the right direction. How else they argue does one attract and retain the best talent into a vocation which is entrusted with shaping tomorrow's world. In most professions earnings are related to profits and the individual's contribution to the same. While teaching is an invaluable service to society it would not be in place to quantify benefits or fix a price for it. Head teacher's salaries are decided by governing bodies on the basis of national guidelines in the School Teacher's pay and conditions document. It would therefore be the right thing to check if these guidelines were adhered to or if there were any discrepancies that led to a higher than recommended salary being paid out to head teachers.
The point is that it would only be in place to scale down a head teacher or anybody else's wages to more realistic levels in view of the current austerity drive and overall cut in governmental spending. This would be more professional than cutting down anybody's salary since it exceeded what the British Prime Minister took home. Teachers as enlightened citizens would only be too aware of their social responsibility to nation building and would readily accept a cut in their wages as part of the government's steps towards cutting down expenditure.
