Public invited to tweet questions for Michael Gove

Michael Gove will appear at an oral evidence session of the Commons Education Committee next week

The public have responded enthusiastically to a Twitter appeal for questions for MPs to ask the Education Secretary, Michael Gove.

The Commons Education Committee wants ideas for an oral evidence session with Mr Gove next week.

The questions can be submitted by 11:00 GMT on Friday 27 January by adding hashtag #AskGove to the tweet.

A spokeswoman for the committee said the MPs want to reflect the most pressing concerns in education.

Among the tweeted questions which have so far been submitted was one from a London primary school, threatened with a forced conversion to academy status.

The tweeter, @Save_Downhills asked: "Why haven't you visited our school?"

Later they added: "Seeing as academies reduce the number of parent governors, how important is the parent voice?"

Free schools

Education unions and lobby groups, both local and national, put out appeals to members to tweet their questions to Mr Gove.

As well as academies, free schools provoked a number of suggested questions.

Tweeter @ConsultantHead asked: "Why was £5 million spent upgrading Clare middle school with 415 pupils into a freeschool for 180 pupils? Value for Money?"

There were questions on special needs teaching, a new national curriculum and staff morale.

Graham Stuart MP, who chairs the committee, said he believes this is the first time MPs have used Twitter to ask for questions for a select committee.

"This is a good way of breaking down the seemingly vast gap between the governed and the governing," he said.

"We are always looking at ways of reaching out and making sure people can use our services to help us hold the government to account."

Committee staff and MPs will sort through the questions to decide which ones most need asking.