Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Guidelines arriving "shortly"

Jim Knight responded yesterday, in the Dept of Education's usual true concise manner in this matter, to a very simple question put to him by Sarah Teather, Lib Dem MP Shadow Education Secretary, regarding the use of fingerprint technology in schools:

From Handsard June 4th 2007

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to publish guidance to schools on the use of biometric technologies.

Jim Knight: The Department aims to publish guidance to schools on the use of biometric technologies shortly.

This to me doesn't look like a factual answer - not the type of answer that would get brownie points in a SATs test.

Anyway, to try to understand a School Minister's speak let us refer to Rogets Thesaurus, no doubt used in Jim Knights Deptartment's schools nationwide. So, Rogets Thesaurus's definition for "shortly" is "right away".

All this said, when the guidelines are issued they are not statutory and unfortunately schools do not need to heed or read them.

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