Teacher campaign just 'reheated Blair'

OPPOSITION claims of plagiarism have overshadowed Julia Gillard's launch of a campaign to attract standout students to teaching.

OPPOSITION claims of plagiarism have overshadowed Julia Gillard's launch of a campaign designed to attract standout students to teaching.

The Prime Minister launched the "Who's your favourite teacher?" campaign last Friday, complete with a photo of herself in pigtails. Visitors to her Facebook page are asked to post photos and memories of their favourite teachers.

The campaign is part of Ms Gillard's efforts to raise the standing of teaching and the quality of recruits to the profession.

But the opposition claims it is a carbon copy of efforts by former British Labour leader Tony Blair to boost teaching, which ultimately failed.

Mr Blair and a group of celebrities, including John Cleese, Ben Elton, Stephen Hawking and Bob Hoskins, featured in a campaign launched less than six months after the 1997 election where they named their favourite teachers.

The opposition spokesman for education, Christopher Pyne, called the campaign a "stale, reheated, Blairite, New Labour idea from 15 years ago".

"People expect real policies about teacher quality," he said.

"It says that Labor has no new ideas and no plans and it says spin always wins over substance in the Prime Minister's office."

A spokeswoman for Ms Gillard denied the charge, saying acknowledging exceptional teachers is not an idea unique to Britain.

"The Prime Minister has made her strong commitment to the education sector clear, and this includes recognition of the efforts of exceptional teachers."

The spokeswoman denied Ms Gillard's communications director John McTernan, a former adviser to Mr Blair, was behind the campaign.

In a video on her Facebook page, Ms Gillard nominates her primary school English teacher Mr Crowe as her favourite teacher. Mr Blair also nominated his English teacher Eric Anderson as his favourite.

Mr Blair attended the exclusive school Fettes, known as "the Scottish Eton".