Gavin Williamson’s contempt over school reopenings is inexcusable – The Yorkshire Post says

The Yorkshire Post took no pleasure a fortnight ago in calling for the Scarborough-born politician to resign, or be sacked, because his indecisiveness and inaction on a range of issues had seen him lose the confidence of teachers, parents and pupils. Many others have now followed suit.

None of his subsequent media interviews have dispelled this view – they have simply become more embarrassing and excruciating by the minute – but it is his decision to snub Parliament, and instead allow his deputy Nick Gibb to answer questions from indignant MPs, that is contemptible and inexcusable.

These are democratically-elected MPs with legitimate questions to raise about the schooling of children – the country’s next generation – in the wake of increasingly mixed messages from the Prime Minister, Mr Williamson and others about when it will be safe to reopen schools, universities and colleges.

The fact that the Education Secretary went into political hiding suggests that he has, once again, failed to do his homework and that there is no clear plan in place, starting with the vaccination of school staff, so schools, colleges and universities canfully reopen.

And this is before Mr Williamson’s abiding failure to appreciate education’s wider societal role tackling regional inequalities is taken into account.

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