James O'Brien slams right-wing 'provocateurs' while discussing white working class boys' education
16 August 2022, 13:40 | Updated: 16 August 2022, 13:44
James O'Brien slams right-wing 'provocateurs' while discussing white working class boys in education
James O’Brien has said abuse from "lazy right-wing provocateurs" in the British media is creating an environment where boys feel that schools and teachers are not on their side.
James highlighted a story stating that white working class boys now face some of the lowest university participation rates, compared with any other group and are expected to fall further behind in A-Level results and the race to acquire university places this year.
James read that a social mobility expert has said boys should not be seen as the dominant gender as they trail behind girls in higher education particularly if they come from poorer homes.
James questioned why white working class boys more than any other demographic are falling behind.
He suggested that Rupert Murdoch selling the idea that teachers are "lazy...do gooders" creates an atmosphere he believes boys are particularly susceptible to - that atmosphere being that schools and teachers are not on their side.
James said: “I think that in the last 30 or 40 years the British media has played an absolutely unforgivable role in doing that, creating the idea that they are the enemy.”
Admitting he has fallen victim to this depiction, James acknowledged: “We drop them off in the morning and we trust them with our children's lives, so when they ask us for their support in industrial action the least we can do is trust them when they tell us that they need it.”
He continued: “It’s not always going to be true and there'll be circumstances in which I will disagree with them, but how mad is it that our gaslit country has created generations that see teachers as enemies.”
