Jasmine's Story

Jasmine, 24, from Walthamstow in London wanted to become a teacher in her local community. She had the qualifications and passion for education, but discovered that teacher training bursaries for critical shortage subjects had been reduced by the Department for Education. Despite classroom spaces being available and graduates ready to teach, Treasury spending rules force departments to compete for fixed pots of funding. This creates artificial scarcity where the government that issues the currency pretends it must first find it somewhere else. Jasmine's story reveals how central government's political choice to underfund teacher training blocks talented individuals from entering the profession when schools need them most. Disclosure: This episode examines government funding decisions and their impact on public services.