GORDON Brown today pledged more teachers and money for crumbling schools in Greater Manchester as party of his record cash boost for education nationwide.
Mr Brown told the MEN that spending nationally will rise by 50 per cent per pupil within three years.
He said: "Manchester's prosperity rests on the talent and skills of its people. And if we don't give our children the chance to fulfil their potential, we not only fail them but will fail as an economy and country as well.
"So I make no apologies for unveiling the largest ever increase in funding for schools. After all, we fought last year's election promising to put schools and hospitals first."
Mr Brown said his Commons spending review yesterday, and April's Budget, delivered the biggest ever increase in NHS funding. But he warned he was not giving schools and hospitals a blank cheque.
"Just as the health spending in the Budget was tied directly to cutting delays for treatment and improving the quality of care, so yesterday's money is to improve standards in our schools, tackle bad discipline in the classroom, extend choice and excellence, and encourage more youngsters to stay on in education.
"We can afford this extra investment over the next three years - not just in health and education but also for the police, for transport, housing, science and defence - only because we've delivered economic stability," said Mr Brown.
"Despite global economic problems, Britain now has the lowest interest rates, inflation and unemployment levels for a generation. Long-term unemployment in Manchester, for example, is down by 65% since 1997 and in Bury by 85%," he added.
"Ten years ago, the country was spending £10 billion more a year on the costs of unemployment than now. That's £10 billion a year to spend on our public services.
"Our opponents, of course, say the extra investment won't make a difference. But that's an insult to the efforts of pupils and teachers in the MEN area.
"There's a lot more to do but thanks to their hard work, the extra investment which has already gone in and the reforms we have put in place, the number of 11 year olds getting the right standard in English in Manchester from 55% to 66% last year - and in Salford from 60% to 73%.
"It's investment, too, to employ more teachers and cut class sizes. There are already 61 extra teachers in Manchester - with more to come. There were no infants, for instance, in Trafford in classes of over 30 at the beginning of this school year compared to over 3,000 in 1997," said Mr Brown.
He said the challenge was to extend the improvement we have seen in our primary schools to secondary schools, and one of the ways we are going to do this is to give every secondary head here over £160,000 a year to spend improving their school.
"There will be extra money, too, to renovate and replace crumbling school buildings. Parents across the MEN area have already seen the difference this can make. There's been funding, for example, for two new classrooms at Whalley Range High.
"In 1997, the country was only spending £750 million a year on modernising school buildings. Last year, we spent three times as much. By 2006 the figure will have increased to £4.5 billion a year - a 400 % increase, above inflation, since 1997," added the Chancellor.
"We are also going to ensure no one is prevented from staying on at school after 16 through lack of money. So we will be extending the successful projects, piloted here, to enable children from lower-income families to be paid up to £1,500 a year to stay on and study to the rest of the country.
"We know that money without reform won't produce the improvements we all want to see. But to demand reform, as they do, without giving schools the resources they need would be a betrayal of Manchester's children - and of our country.