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Wednesday, 23 May, 2001, 15:38 GMT 16:38 UK
Labour 'boost' for schools
A plan to improve the education system has been revealed by Labour, but the Tories denounced it as an "admission of failure".
The party pledged at a news conference to boost the the share of national income spent on education, to provide new teachers and to modernise comprehensives.
Education Secretary David Blunkett said Labour's plans drew stark contrast to the Tories, who "have not mentioned nursery education or early years provision or skills" in their manifesto.
And Prime Minister Tony Blair said that as well as giving children the basic tools for life and work, schools should teach them "the joy of life, the exhilaration of music, the excitement of sport, the beauty of art, the magic of science".
He said he wanted to move beyond the old comprehensive versus grammar school divide.
His aim was for every secondary school to develop a strong individual character, including a centre of excellence.
But shadow education secretary Theresa May said Labour's education plans were an "admission of failure".
She added that although Labour "ask us to believe they will recruit an extra 10,000 teachers, they have presided over a crisis of teacher shortages that has led to schools on a four-day week and children being sent home".
However Mr Blunkett added that under a Labour government, there would be an extra 10,000 teachers by 2006.
Labour had increased funding per pupil by £540 since 1997, and was spending three times as much on investing in schools than was spent in 1996-7, he said.
"We will ensure schools meet the talent and aptitudes of the children.
"The clear choice is £2bn of cuts under the Tories or investment and reform in our schools with Labour," Mr Blunkett said.
Education Minister Estelle Morris issued a challenge to the Tories to admit their plans for spending were "wrong and wouldn't mean a single extra penny spent on children on our schools".
She ran through Labour's manifesto pledges.
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