7/15/2008 7:15:00 AM
FT 15 July
The decision by Ofsted, the government’s schools inspectorate, to force a senior pharmaceutical executive to resign from its board smacks of political cowardice. If the state is serious about tapping outside expertise to improve performance, it needs to rethink its approach.Paul Blackburn, financial controller at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was recruited to a part-time voluntary post because of his financial expertise. A single newspaper article’s criticisms of GSK – some questionable, none new and none linked to him personally – triggered demands for his immediate departure.Long-established guidelines from the government’s Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments establish a solid framework for such nominees: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. None of these appear to have been breached in Mr Blackburn’s case.Companies should not be represented on government bodies where there is any conflict. For example, a medicines manufacturer should never be appointed to an agency assessing clinical trials, drug approvals or reimbursement. Yet no such tension exists with Ofsted.FT
General | Curriculum / Quality Assurance
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