Appalled by current situation at college

After 12 years in industry and after teacher training, I joined the staff of Mid-Warwickshire College in 1964. The then principal was a gentle soul, H. Murray Marklew, who had been there from the beginning. He belonged to ATTI, the lecturers’ union, so he came to union meetings along with the rest of us and dispensed wisdom, when required.

His successor, Peter Rodgers, certainly changed things, and not to everyone’s satisfaction, but he ‘kept his feet on the ground’ by reserving Thursday morning for teaching economics to first year hairdressers.

I cannot imagine either of these two (I cannot speak of their successors) giving themselves a 25 per cent pay rise and, at the same time, condemning colleagues to redundancy which I understand the most recent incumbent has done.

I am appalled and do hope that the next principal is required to revert to the standards set by Mr Marklew and Mr Rodgers.

Teaching is not, or should not, be about money, as anyone in the profession will substantiate, so what Ms Cavalli was doing in education quite baffles me.

One last point. In my first term, Mr Marklew stopped me in the corridor to ask how I was getting on. He said: “Never forget, Mr Clark, more than half your time is spent away from this place. You neglect that half at your peril”.

What a wise man he was! I hope the interviewers for the next principal make sure that the chosen one possesses wisdom in inverse proportion to avarice

Ted Clark, Stirling Avenue, Leamington