Open Writing

They say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I made the following observations in 1997 and, yes, my opinions have not changed.

“Education, education, education,” proclaimed Tony Blair to rapturous applause from his followers. But is this really what the country needs? Do we want to plough billions of pounds into education? Must we become a nation of over-qualified workers, where a university education is the norm?
Just look at the information, which accompanies your council tax demand. Where does the bulk of your contribution go? That’s an easy one to answer: education, education, education. How do you feel about that if you do not have children? You can’t opt out on grounds of your childlessness. The costs of teachers’ salaries and the day-to-day running of schools are astronomical. Kirklees spends well over a third of its total budget on education.
There are those who will throw up their hands in horror if they live in an area which does not have a nursery school for their little angels to attend. Their cries of “He’s ready for school” may sound plausible. Being translated, this means “I want to get rid of him and shelve my responsibility.” There is no need for nursery school. Anything that the child needs to learn can be found at the mother’s side - and it’s cheaper. Rousseau’s “Emil” is testimony to the valuable contribution that a parent can make to his child’s development.
Once a child is five, his parents are responsible for ensuring regular attendance at school. That’s fine, but keep it simple. Does he really need ‘to be stretched’ (my college tutors drummed this requirement into us). He might be fine just as he is. What’s more, he may even be happy with his 3ft stature! What is so wrong about his being a five/six/seven-year old? Must he really be pushed to acquire knowledge and experience beyond his years. Goodness knows, kids aren’t kids for very long. The time will come soon enough for him to face life outside, in the real world.
And let’s keep computers away from the classroom. The expense cannot possibly be justified. Who wants a Clever Dick for a child; one who shows off with his expertise in front of parents who are not au fait with their video recorders, never mind a computer.
Many people clamour for further education as they rush to enrol for classes as diverse as aromatherapy, psychology and Japanese. What about all those tutors who are rushing in to these seats of learning, to line their own pockets and lighten yours, yet again? It’s a conspiracy. The message is that you are inadequate; you need to learn, learn, learn. You are never too old to learn..
Whilst I might concede this point I am mindful of the fact that it might just make you feel dissatisfied with your lot in life. Do we all need to become discontented?
It would seem that the passing of exams is the only raison d’etre in life. And each year, there are more and more so-called successes. The triumphant youngsters who pass their exams are on the conveyor belt. Everyone, it seems, just has to get a university education, regardless of what they want to do in life. Does the studying of all those obscure and meaningless subjects really prepare them for the future? (It would seem that they have taken the place of the basics of literacy and numeracy,) Isn’t it just an excuse to whittle way three years of their lives, having a whale of a time, in all the social activities on offer? And then they have the cheek to complain about their grants!
No, Tony Blair, you’ve got it wrong. What we need is the simple, contented life. What about “Common sense, common sense, common sense” for starters?
(O.k. some of this may be tongue-in-cheek, but not much of it.)