UNITED KINGDOM, August 30, 2001: UK schools which recruit teachers from overseas in a desperate bid to fill vacancies are “sucking vital resources” from the world’s poorest children, a charity has claimed. The Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) believes at least 1,000 teachers have come to the UK from developing countries, including India, in the last 12 months. “The morality of looting teachers from developing countries is being lost in the fervor to fill our own classrooms,” states VSO head Mark Goldring. The UK shortage pales in comparison with those in countries such as India, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa, where children are often in classes of 100 with just one teacher. In these countries, UK teacher recruitment agencies are able to recruit aggressively, unchecked and unbounded by guidelines or regulations. Many teachers from India are wanting to go to the UK. VSO is calling on the Department for Education to issue a code of practice for schools and recruitment agencies. Overseas teachers who have come to UK schools make important contributions to and are well qualified, a spokesperson added.
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