BBC Breakfast viewers slammed host Naga Munchetty on Saturday for her ‘poorly put’ comment about children’s safety during teachers strikes.
The journalist, 47, and co-host Charlie Stayt, 60, discussed the upcoming industrial action that is due to take place in England and Wales next week.
However viewers branded the segment ‘biased’ after Naga described school’s merely as ‘alternative childcare’ while others accused the show of ‘vilifying’ teachers.
Hitting out: BBC Breakfast viewers slammed host Naga Munchetty, 47, for her ‘poorly put’ comment about teachers strikes on Saturday (pictured with co-host and co-host Charlie Stayt, 60)
Raising the issue of safety about the number of teachers taking industrial action, she asked education journalist Grainne Hallahan: ‘Do the schools have an obligation to tell you whether they will be open or not?’.
She continued: ‘The issue is it is massive disruption for parents and for children obviously, their education being disrupted.
‘And for vulnerable children, those breakfast clubs, after school clubs for those who school is an escape and place of safety?’.
Picket line: Viewers branded the segment ‘biased’ after Naga described school’s merely as ‘alternative childcare’ while others accused the show of ‘vilifying’ teachers
Taking to Twitter one viewer wrote: ‘@BBCBreakfast Naga talking about the impact of strikes on parents with them having to make alternative ‘childcare’ arrangements. I’m all teachers are happy to be seen by #BBCBreakfast as merely childcare’.
Before adding: ‘Poorly put.’
While another said: ‘It looks like BBC Breakfast got the memo to vilify teachers for going on strike today sop are pushing the story about how it impacts parents. It causes disruption, that’s entirely the point of strikes’.
Unhappy: The journalist and co-host Charlie Stayt discussed the upcoming industrial action that is due to take place in England and Wales next week
A third added: ‘Alternative’ childcare? Really? we are educators not childcare providers. Yes parents will need to find childcare in the event of strike action but it will not be ;’alternative’. Please consider your narrative’.
While a fourth commented: ‘Not sure I like the phrase teachers ar enot turning up from Charlie Stayt which makes it sound more casuyal rather than a difficult decision to fo on strike’.
And another accused the show of an ‘incredibly & shockingly biased account of teachers strikes’.
Unhappy: Taking to Twitter one viewer wrote: ‘@BBCBreakfast Naga talking about the impact of strikes on parents with them having to make alternative ‘childcare’ arrangements. I’m all teachers are happy to be seen by #BBCBreakfast as merely childcare’
Thousands of teachers will strike in February and March in a row over pay, leaders of the National Education Union (NEU), the country’s largest teaching union, will launch strike action after balloting its 300,000 members.
Nine out of 10 teacher members of the NEU voted for strike action and the union passed the 50 per cent ballot turnout required by law.
The first day of strikes will be on February 1, with more than 23,000 schools in England and Wales are expected to be affected. Further industrial action will take place on February 14, March 15 and March 16. Teachers in a number of regions will also walkout on February 28 and March 1 and 2.
Strike! Thousands of teachers will strike in February and March in a row over pay, leaders of the National Education Union (NEU), the country’s largest teaching union, will launch strike action after balloting its 300,000 members
But while school leaders in Wales are set to also strike over pay and funding, headteachers in England will not stage walkouts after the NAHT union ballot turnout failed to meet the legal threshold.
Meanwhile, the NEU says seven days of walkouts will take place across February and March, but it added that any individual school will only be affected by four of the days.
In England, 90 per cent of NEU teacher members who voted in the ballot backed strikes, with a turnout of 53 per cent. In Wales, 92 per cent of NEU teacher members who voted in the ballot backed strikes, with a turnout of 58 per cent.
But the Children’s Commissioner has warned that a walkout would hurt vulnerable pupils still recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
Dame Rachel de Souza said children ‘cannot afford’ to have yet more class time distributed, just as they were getting back into school following Covid closures.
Overall, 300,000 teachers and support staff in England and Wales were asked to vote in the NEU ballot.
Support staff in schools in Wales are also set to go on strike in the dispute over pay after 88 per cent of balloted members backed action, with a turnout of 51 per cent.
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