And the award goes to...

By Shahid Naqvi on Jun 3, 08 06:09 PM in

Awards. What are they good for? Advancing careers, mostly.
These days there's an award for everything, from best restaurant to best inside leg measurer. OK, I made up that last one. But you get the point.

The other day I got a press release about three members of staff at a Midland college who are "celebrating after receiving a prestigious Licentiateship Award in Floristry".
What on earth is that? I know it will mean something to those in the sector, but why tell the rest of us? What possible interest is it to the ordinary Joe in the street?
This week also saw the launch of a new award - the NUS Awards which highlights student activists. I'm not sure what to make of this one. Will it be worth the paper it's written on or just something for over-ambitious students to add to their CV?
I'm reminded of those "best balti restaurant" boasts you see all over Birmingham.
The NUS is, of course, a respectable organ so there's no reason to suspect its awards will be Mickey Mouse.
Another set of awards highlighted this week are the Teaching Awards.
Initiated by Lord Puttnam, they are designed to provide "a unique opportunity for us to celebrate those who, tirelessly and often selflessly, dedicate their lives to securing a future for the next generation".
Quite right they should be praised. But there are many within the education sector who believe it's wrong to single out teachers in this way.
Does it highlight the best teachers, or the most ambitious and publicity hungry schools who are more likely to encourage governors, parents and staff to make nominations?
There are some who argue this Government-sponsored competition is just a big PR exercise that detracts from the fact that teachers are leaving the profession in their thousands.