Tristram Hunt, the shadow education secretary, entered a skirmish on the BBC’s Question Time last night regarding teaching provided by nuns. He clashed with the journalist, and former Catholic Herald editor, Cristina Odone, who disagreed with him that all teachers should be qualified.
Her argument was that some of her best teachers when she was at school hadn’t received teacher training. In response, much to Odone’s outrage, Hunt said:
“These were nuns. These were all nuns, weren’t they? . . This, this is, I mean, I know about your religious schooling, and there’s a difference I think between a state education system, having a state education system, having qualified teachers in the classroom . . . ”
Watch it here:
Video: YouTube
His remarks have caused offence among viewers who saw his response to Odone’s education as contemptuous. Although he has come under fire mainly from right-wing commentators and Tories (and Odone later called his comments “arrogant and ignorant”), some on the left saw his comments as ill-judged:
Oh Hunty. My mum spent most of her career teaching in a ‘convent school’, working alongside nuns. They gave incredible educations, you dick.
— Damian McBride (@DPMcBride) February 6, 2015
I’ve been a supporter of Hunty as the man to succeed Ed M in 2023 but that is hereby renounced. It’s Liz ‘The Chronic’ Kendall for me now.
— Damian McBride (@DPMcBride) February 6, 2015
UPDATE 12.04
Hunt has tweeted that he meant “no offence to nuns”.
On BBC QT I was trying to make a generalised point about the use of unqualified teachers in schools. I obviously meant no offence to nuns.
— Tristram Hunt (@TristramHuntMP) February 6, 2015
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