Education Education Education
"In his great work Equality [1931], R. H. Tawney pointed out that the English educational system "will never be one worthy of a civilised society until the children of all classes in the nation attend the same schools . . . The idea that differences of educational opportunities among children should depend upon differences of wealth represents a barbarity.""
England is perhaps unique in Europe in the sense that it is still fully in the grips of the utter barbarity described above.
It's not that private schools should be abolished (though that might help things). It is that they should not be necessary!
The idea that an education system in England that is different to the current one represents a "utopia" is false.
"Utopia" means "nowhere."
And a different educational system to the English one exists "everywhere in Europe except England".
This is hardly "nowhere"!
"Education! Education! Education!" says TB.
There will never be a solution to the problems of English education until New Labour fully addresses the crux of the problem as expressed by Tawney above.
I remember feeling annoyed at the age of 9 when I realised that the school I was going to was far better than the schools of other children in terms of the quality of the education and the facilities; and that my parents were nearly bankrupting themselves to send me there. It made me feel angry at the injustice even at that age. Also there was the pressure for exam results. The place was just an exam factory where your parents bought you a ticket to keep you in the middle classes.
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"England is the most class-ridden country under the sun. It is a land of snobbery and privilege, ruled largely by the old and silly."
George Orwell.
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I don't think semi-privatised academies are the answer either.
http://www.antiacademies.org.uk/
...
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It is contended that there is no reason why education should not be provided as a supposed charitable good.
Why not let health or transport be run by charities as well?
Ridiculous isn't it?
Health and transport could be run by charities.
But what kind of society would tolerate that the best transport and the best health was provided by so-called private "charities"?
Education is just as important as health and transport provision.
The bottom line remains that (very) rich people should never have a (much) better education than (very) poor people.
"In his great work Equality [1931], R. H. Tawney pointed out that the English educational system "will never be one worthy of a civilised society until the children of all classes in the nation attend the same schools . . . The idea that differences of educational opportunities among children should depend upon differences of wealth represents a barbarity.""
England is perhaps unique in Europe in the sense that it is still fully in the grips of the utter barbarity described above.
It's not that private schools should be abolished (though that might help things). It is that they should not be necessary!
The idea that an education system in England that is different to the current one represents a "utopia" is false.
"Utopia" means "nowhere."
And a different educational system to the English one exists "everywhere in Europe except England".
This is hardly "nowhere"!
"Education! Education! Education!" says TB.
There will never be a solution to the problems of English education until New Labour fully addresses the crux of the problem as expressed by Tawney above.
I remember feeling annoyed at the age of 9 when I realised that the school I was going to was far better than the schools of other children in terms of the quality of the education and the facilities; and that my parents were nearly bankrupting themselves to send me there. It made me feel angry at the injustice even at that age. Also there was the pressure for exam results. The place was just an exam factory where your parents bought you a ticket to keep you in the middle classes.
------------------------
"England is the most class-ridden country under the sun. It is a land of snobbery and privilege, ruled largely by the old and silly."
George Orwell.
-------------------------
I don't think semi-privatised academies are the answer either.
http://www.antiacademies.org.uk/
...
----------------------------------------------------
It is contended that there is no reason why education should not be provided as a supposed charitable good.
Why not let health or transport be run by charities as well?
Ridiculous isn't it?
Health and transport could be run by charities.
But what kind of society would tolerate that the best transport and the best health was provided by so-called private "charities"?
Education is just as important as health and transport provision.
The bottom line remains that (very) rich people should never have a (much) better education than (very) poor people.
In England, uniquely and barbarously, this is very much the case.
It is utterly disgusting and intolerable.
And it quite simply would not be tolerated were England in any way a civilised entity.
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It also must be pointed out that many so-called "public" schools in England were founded in the late medieval period with the explicit intention of educating the poor or the general populace....
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All education should be secular and non-denominational.
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"Utopia" etymologically either means "good place" or "no place"/"nowhere".
"A good place" is not necessarily something that should not be strived for in my view.
Or at least "a better place".
Calling it "nowhere" is also conducive to being realistic. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try and improve things.
"Utopia" etymologically either means "good place" or "no place"/"nowhere".
"A good place" is not necessarily something that should not be strived for in my view.
Or at least "a better place".
Calling it "nowhere" is also conducive to being realistic. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try and improve things.