Education Minister Julia Gillard is under heavy spit-ball fire from two sides of the classroom today:

Firstly comes the news she has bowed to pressure to hold an inquiry into the government’s Building and Education Revolution scheme, following weeks of accusations of shonky builders and budget blowouts.

To add to her headache, the National Education Union is ordering its teachers to boycott the NAPLAN literacy and numeracy tests used to create data for the Gillard’s pet project, the My School website, which has proved very popular with voters.

The Australian is claiming full credit for the BER inquiry, running across-the-board coverage and almost every columnist earning their Christmas bonuses early by crowing about the paper’s pivotal role in championing the cause.

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So is the Rudd Government’s People’s Princess finally facing some actual scrutiny? Or just nobly taking the bullet for her boss while he tries to keep the public’s focus off crappy canteens and on health? Here’s how the nation’s pundits are calling it today:

The Australian

Editorial: Schools inquiry must be just the start of clean-up

Ms Gillard knows this is not just about Labor’s electoral standing, but also the quality of our schools for a generation.

Dennis Shanahan: Martyr Julia douses a political spot fire

The Education Minister has stepped up to be heroically martyred at a time the government has decided to pile all its bad news and policy backdowns into a concentrated period well before the election.

Tom Dusevic: Diva Julia Gillard hits new notes in old song

With the BER schoolyard rumble drowning out Kevin Rudd’s health and hospitals overture, and any other melodies, the song could no longer remain the same.

Samantha Maiden: It’s hands-on Julia, chasing the shonks

It’s a grin and BER IT approach.

Justine Ferrari: Finally, Gillard gets the problem

.. the BER had an inherent tension. Its primary focus was never about schools and education – it was about creating jobs to stave off a recession.

Natasha Bita: It’s too late for damage control

The Rudd government has behaved like a home builder with more money than sense

Sydney Morning Herald

Editorial: Teachers face a skills test

Gillard is right to assume parents want the basic skills testing program kept in operation, despite the opposition of many

The Age

Michelle Grattan: Rudd and Gillard in top gear as fix-it funds flow

… although her establishment of the taskforce is taking out some political ”insurance”, it is also a concession that all is not well in a huge program she administers.

John Passant: Is Julia Gillard the Peter Reith of the Labor Party?

If Gillard wants to send in scabs, the Teachers’ Union should appeal to parents not to scab.

The Herald Sun

Phillip Hudson: Another level of insulation, Julia?

As the election gets closer, the Government wants to avoid any repeat of the roof insulation fiasco