Now, UK school heads to get powers to sack teachers with extremist Islamic beliefs

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London, July 16: School heads in Britain will now be given the power to sack teachers who express extremist Islamic beliefs and stage lessons that undermine ‘fundamental’ British values such as the rule of law, democracy and individual liberty.

The measure is designed to make it easier for heads to sack teachers who are members of the British National Party or those with extremist Islamic beliefs.

The guidelines form part of a raft of stringent new teaching standards, which are enforceable from September 2012 and designed to weed out bad teachers, the Daily Mail reports.

Teachers will also be at risk of losing their jobs if they do not uphold high standards of ‘literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standards English’ at all times.

The new rules are designed to give heads clear, legal grounds on which to dismiss staff who are extremists or simply not up to the job, the paper said.

The move follows comments from Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, that membership of far-right groups was incompatible with the duty to ‘shape young minds’.

The guidelines direct staff ‘not to undermine fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs’.

The National Association of Head Teachers has welcomed the document, saying the standards were ‘clear, concise and relevant’. (ANI)