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Shahid Naqvi

Shahid Naqvi

Capita's £110m contract to run Birmingham council call centres

Capita, the private firm behind a new billing system that resulted in a backlog of nearly 30,000 invoices at Birmingham City Council, has won a £110 million contract to run the authority’s customer call centres. Read

Jimmy Carter at Hay-on-Wye to outline his vision for peace

Former US President Jimmy Carter labelled Europe's failure to help Palestinians as "embarrassing" during a speech at the Hay-on-Wye Festival. Read

Teaching children the real outdoors

Forget laptops, interactive whiteboards, the internet and video conferencing. The learning environment of the future is likely to be decidedly low-tech. Read

Jamaican PM Bruce Golding visits Birmingham

Shahid Naqvi catches up with Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding during a visit to Birmingham. Read

Asylum seeker housing charity has contracts terminated

A Birmingham charity which is the biggest in the country for providing housing to asylum seekers is facing closure after losing Government contracts worth £11 million in the wake of a fraud inquiry. Read

Three injured as RSC theatre set collapses

The Royal Shakespeare Company is under investigation by health and safety officers after three technicians were injured – one seriously – during a set change. Read

Allotment holders win battle against Moseley Golf Club

Allotment holders in a Birmingham suburb are celebrating the reclamation of some of their land after seeing off another expansion bid by an exclusive golf club. Read

Nearly half of teachers who quit take up new careers

A questionnaire to teachers leaving the profession by Birmingham City Council found "new challenges/career move" the most common reason for handing in their notice Read

Kings Heath community project running out of money

A pioneering bid to create a village-style square in a Birmingham suburb is at the point of collapse because of a lack of funding. Read

Video games, soap operas and the glorification of crime

Video games that glorify gangs and soap operas with violent storylines are leading young people into a life of crime, says a mother whose son was stabbed. Read

Sats tests under renewed attack

National tests used to compile league tables were subject yesterday to their most damning attack with even the Government watchdog on education condemning them. Read

Taking the Skills for Life bus to a brighter future

A double-decker bus packed with educational resources is to tour inner city Birmingham in a bid to reach the parts schools and colleges can't reach. Read

Midland homes still being built on floodplains

Thousands of new homes in the West Midlands are being built on floodplains and are in danger of ending up "unsaleable, uninhabitable and uninsurable", it has been claimed. Read

£28m to revive Black Country education

The Government is to inject £28 million into West Midlands schools in a bid to rescue pupils from under-performance and create an educational "renaissance". Read

Wychavon best for quality of life

Tucked away between Worcester and Stratford-upon-Avon, people living in Wychavon apparently enjoy among the best quality of life in rural Britain. Read

1950s fear of an H Bomb attack on Birmingham

Government officials feared Birmingham was in danger of having an H Bomb dropped on it during the 1950s, documents released today reveal. Read

Ayoub Khan overcomes 'bad press' to take Aston

Aston Liberal Democrat Councillor Ayoub Khan last night claimed the people had spoken and shown he was "fit to hold office" after retaining his seat in the inner city ward. Read

AWM chief calls for low carbon pioneers

The West Midlands needs "low carbon pioneers" to emerge and lead it into a greener future, the head of the region’s regeneration strategy has insisted. Read

Shahid Naqvi: What a difference those ten years made

"Dad, what's a scab?" my ten-year-old son asked. It was an insult in the brilliant new British film Son of Rambow we had just watched. Read

Flood warning for basements in Birmingham as water table rises

Developers have been warned not to design buildings with basement levels or underground parking in Birmingham because of the rising water table. Read

Author Profile

Shahid Naqvi has been working as a journalist in the West Midlands since 1995 and has been The Birmingham Posts Education Correspondent since 2002. Before that he spent two years on The Posts business desk. He also writes a regular blog on education issues and a monthly column.

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