The Case For Change

My motivation in creating this blog, Education Perspectives, is to contribute to the ongoing debate about education. Across every continent, nations are considering the sorts of changes required to establish efficient public education systems in light of an unknowable future. Whatever else we feel, we need to understand, the future does not belong to us, even though we are the ones currently influencing its direction. The decisions we make today will determine whether we create the legacy of a viable future for our successors, and public education is critical to that aim.

However, education is only one factor with a capacity to enhance life or detract from its quality. In our global society, the political, agricultural, economic and commercial choices we make will impact on the environment, and thus on the biosphere, for better or worse. Medical, scientific and technological developments will also greatly influence the quality of life for the generations not yet born. The only thing we can be certain of is that the choices we make will directly affect their opportunities and life-chances. We may not be able to engineer the future, but we need to give greater consideration than ever before to the possible implications of choices we do make.

Opinion is growing that we are already witnessing the effects of man-made changes to the global climate. Over two decades ago, having examined the evidence available to him at the time, Bill McKibben summed up the situation with profound simplicity. www.billmckibben.com/

"The tidal force of biology continues to govern us, even when we realize (as no lemming can) that we're doing something stupid." 
'The End of Nature' 1990. 

At the time, most of those aware that the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere might be reaching significant levels, failed to take seriously McKibben's dire warnings about changes to the composition of the atmosphere. We may be beginning to live with the consequences of that failure.

Today, mounting evidence is emerging as more data are accumulated across the globe. Skeptics maintain the implications of the data are inconclusive. They may be right. However, in a democracy people need the capability to review the data themselves. As things stand, indecision on the part of world leaders, strengthened by the opinions of powerful lobbying groups in favour of the status quo, risks further delay in trying to address the problems, and may even reduce available options. 

Sadly, our 'stupidity' is not confined to the issue of climate change. It's becoming clear, many of the trappings of modern life we have come to expect are sustainable only at a price. That price is someone else's future. For this reason, ordinary people need to become more aware of the ethical implications of our collective actions. Trusting that the way we did things in the past will not damage our children's legacy, is a vain hope at best. If we are to become fully involved in trying to secure a viable future, much will depend on how we transform education to meet these challenges head on.

Where governments are concerned, education reform is aimed at securing a commercial or other advantage over competitors (hence the reliance on international league tables of education outputs comparing the 'basics'). For society, in particular for families with children/grand children, the focus has to be elsewhere. It needs to be on the well-being of the young and on creating opportunities to enable them to reach their potential and live a full, rewarding life. In this regard there is an obvious clash of interests.

Transforming education will depend more than anything on perspectives and on the values that guide us in that process. The aim for the future, I believe, must be to create an efficient public education system fit for all. In subsequent postings I set out to clarify what I mean by this and explore how best to begin this process.

In my next posting, Education Reform - A New Rationale, I set out radical proposals outlining the creation of a national framework for the oversight of strategic management in education in Britain and explain why I believe this is long over due.