Sasha's Story

Sasha, 25, from Mitcham and Morden in London, wanted to become a teacher in a subject desperately needed in local schools. Despite having the qualifications and passion, her path was blocked when HM Treasury's spending constraints forced the Department for Education to slash teacher training bursaries for critical shortage subjects. The classrooms existed, eager graduates were ready to train, but Westminster's political choice to cap recruitment targets below actual need meant connecting willing teachers to schools became impossible. This episode explores how central government spending rules treat the currency-issuing state as though it must compete for a fixed pot of money, leaving education capacity unfunded across London constituencies. Recorded in Mitcham and Morden constituency. Disclosure: This podcast advocates for government job guarantee programs and challenges conventional fiscal constraints.