Continuing Winners Week on FE News, we spo

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[On winning]

Winning for me was a big surprise. I feel very happy to be recognised by my mentor; the person who nominated me is the head of languages and humanities at the college, and also to be recognised by the Quality Improvement Agency, so it was really very good. Winning the money just before Christmas was also a nice bonus!

I was thrilled and honoured to even be nominated. I think what pushed me ahead of others was a very positive attitude, and even if I didn”t win, it was great to see everybody there, because I think that they all deserved it too. It is a shame that there wasn”t a prize for everyone involved, because reading all of their profiles, I did think they were all fantastic. I fully congratulate the others too.

[On whether the awards undermine those who remain unrecognised]

I think it is very good and necessary to recognise some of the tutors; that doesn”t mean they shouldn”t be there. I mean, I was nominated last year and I didn”t come out a finalist, but that didn”t mean that the manager, the curriculum and the head of languages, couldn”t put me forward again, and that was really good. I think it is really good to recognise the tutors in further education and the 6th forms.

[On what she would like remedied in FE immediately]

I think all the tutors are doing a very good job, but also, I think sometimes education is a little bit bureaucratic. We do have a lot of paperwork, so there is, sometimes, too much bureaucracy.

Also, I would like to see equal opportunities afforded to all subjects. In further education, adults are as important as the young ones too. I think education should be for everybody.

In terms of languages, more and more adults are coming back to language learning, and I am really glad that this is continuing. But in this respect, I think languages should be better encouraged in secondary schools, and from that a continuation from the primary schools.

Maria Rounding, East Riding College.

Winner: Outstanding Further Education Practitioner

Tomorrow: Concluding FE News Winners Week, Libby James, winner of the Lifetime Achievement award, explains her win

Related FE News articles:

Patricia Barr – Outstanding Basic Skills Practitioner – 15/11/06

Robert Randall – Outstanding Adult and Community Learning Practitioner – 14/11/06

Steve Murphy – Outstanding Work Based Learning Practitioner – 13/11/06

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