Steve Jobs slams US teaching unions

Posted on 19 Feb 2007 at 09:35, by Simon Aughton

Steve Jobs has attacked trade unions in the US for preventing schools from sacking 'bad teachers'.

The Apple CEO told a Texas education reform conference that no amount of technology will improve schools unless school head teachers have the same powers as people who manage businesses. He described the unionisation of schools and jobs-for-life for teachers as 'off-the-charts crazy'.

'What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn't get rid of people that they thought weren't any good?'' he asked. 'Not really great ones because if you're really smart you go, "I can't win.".'

Jobs' remarks were met with loud applause, according to the AP news agency, although he said that Apple had probably lost some business.

Jobs was sharing the platform with Dell CEO and founder Michael Dell, who was rather more sympathetic to teachers' unions, which he said were created because employees were being treated unfairly.

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