General Election 2022: Campaign Promises on Education from Different Political Parties
Reform vows to ban transgender ideology in schools, while Labour and the Lib Dems aim to expand nursery places. The Tories plan to end ‘rip-off’ degree courses.
Education remains a critical concern for voters as the July 4 general election approaches, with funding, student debt, teacher recruitment, and curriculum being debated by parties.
Two weeks before polling day, let’s compare the manifesto pledges of parties on early years, primary, secondary, and higher education.
Early Years
Labor Party plans to create 100,000 places in 3,000 new nurseries within existing primary schools. The Conservative Party promises to continue providing up to 30 hours of free childcare for working parents, supported by Labour.
The Liberal Democrats pledge an additional five hours of free childcare for toddlers from disadvantaged households. Reform UK states that most mothers prefer to stay at home with young children and proposes front-loading Child Benefit for pre-schoolers.
While not specific about nursery provision, the Greens promise to invest in Sure Start centers for children from poorer backgrounds.
Primary and Secondary School
The Conservatives vow a ban on mobile phones during the school day and transparency on sensitive topics in education. Labour and the Lib Dems make no explicit promises regarding transgender ideology, and the Tories commit to following guidelines for gender questioning students.
Reform pledges to ban teaching gender ideology in schools, focusing on informing parents and providing single-sex facilities. They also promise a patriotic curriculum. The Lib Dems pledge to address mental health concerns and extend free school meals.
Labour vows to recruit more teachers, tackle retention issues, offer free breakfast clubs, and invest in language development for children. The Greens pledge to abolish Ofsted and end high-stakes testing.
Higher Education
The Conservatives propose mandatory national service for 18-year-olds, 100,000 new apprenticeships, and funding apprenticeships by replacing poor-quality degrees. Labour abandons its tuition fee pledge, and the Lib Dems promise to restore maintenance grants and provide education allowances.
Labour aims to reform student loan repayment, the Lib Dems seek to rejoin the Erasmus program, and the Greens pledge to restore student grants and scrap tuition fees.
Reform promises to reduce poor-quality degrees, offer two-year courses, and extend the repayment period for student loans. They also promise to cut funding to universities that restrict free speech.
