P-05-1033 Abolish Education Workforce Council (EWC) registration fees and completely reform its organisation

This petition was submitted by Robert Jeffrey Southall having collected a total of 371 signatures.

Text of Petition:

The registration fee is regressive and deducted from our wages on behalf of the EWC and Government. It is the same if you are full time, proportional or part time. It is a tax on education professionals. The EWC is not a representative body, it has failed to provide comprehensive CPD or promised bursaries for career enhancement. It is not accountable to, or representative of, its registrants. It is a regulatory body, accountable only to the Minister, so there should be no registration fee.

Additional Information:

The annual cost of registration is £45 with a reduced fee of £15 for support workers. The fee is the same if you are full time, proportional or part time. The fee is based on a tax year from April to March so those in their first year of teaching or youth work or on short term contracts must pay twice in September and April. There is no partial fee for those on limited contracts. The EWC is not a representative body or a professional association for those it registers. The EWC is not democratically accountable to its registrants and its governing body is not representative of those it registers. Teachers in HE and the private sector are not regulated by the EWC and pay no registration fees and the vast majority of headteachers in schools and managers in FE, the highest paid staff in the sector, do not need to register or pay the fee even if they have constant and lengthy contact with learners. This is plainly unfair and we call for the total abolition of all EWC registration fees.

Senedd Constituency and Region

· Islwyn

· South Wales East