Education

Matthew Arnold by Imelda Palmer & The Cultural Critics by Lesley Johnson

June 1980, no. 21

John McLaren reviews ‘Matthew Arnold’ by Imelda Palmer and ‘The Cultural Critics’ by Lesley Johnson

Culture is doubly related to education. Firstly, education is itself a part of culture. Secondly, the function of education is usually seen, at least in part, as being to pass the cultural tradition on to succeeding generations, or, more patronisingly, to give the students some culture.

In these times of education for utility, the cultural function is unfashionable. Our politicians are more concerned to blame schools for failing to prepare students for jobs than they are to criticise their own teachers for having failed to produce a generation of caring adults. Yet unemployment is more a symptom of cultural collapse than it is a product of education failure.

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It’s Always Been Basic

by Maureen Stewart •

June 1979, no. 11

So much has been written about Language One in various English teaching journals that there is little to add. What has been written has usually been critical – often very critical – ranging from ‘not only is it a bad book, but it is misleading’ (Idiom) to ‘buy one for your barbeque. soon’ (Opinion). Language Two will doubtless produce a similar response – from theorists, book reviewers, and the occasional highly competent teacher.

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School and Work by Christine Blakers

by Geoff Muriden •

September 1978, no. 4

This is a work immediately topical to a large number of teachers and students concerned (with much justification) about the lack of a proper link between school and employment after schooling. The tragedy is that unemployment often hits those in the fifteen to nineteen year old age group, who are unskilled and semi-skilled, ill prepared for the transition to a workplace increasingly demanding higher qualifications. The Technical Teachers’ Association of Victoria (TTAV) released a document in 1977 called Submission to the Committee of Enquiry into Education and Training, which acknowledges problems of this kind and calls for remedies in the form of Work Experience, greater TAFE funding, the greater co-ordination of government, business and teacher groups, formation of ‘clusters’ of educational institutions, and an end to discrimination against girls and women in the TAFE area of occupations.

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