"Why we all should chase a dream":
New Labour's Nightmare Vision for Education
Reproduced from North East Workers & Politics, Vol.2 No.13, November 6, 2002
On October 29, 2002 an article by David Miliband MP, Schools Standards Minister, was featured in the North East Journal newspaper's education supplement. The article was entitled "Why we all should chase a dream". The author addresses the dream in the introduction when he says "education is vital to developing the region's potential and if we can get education right, by making the investments and supporting the teachers, we will have a real chance of reversing economic decline, improving the quality of life and strengthening communities". But the fact that the dream David Miliband is still chasing is really New Labour's nightmare vision is revealed if the reader happens to know the reality and if one is fully woken up to the facts. Schools, universities and colleges are all suffering massive cutbacks on all fronts. Whether it be the take-over of new schools for profit under PFI by the private sector, the worsening conditions and pay of teachers and lecturers, the increasing of fees to students, introduction of top-up fees, and so on. Even in David Miliband's own South Shields constituency, so far, the schools standards Minister has yet to take a stand against the proposed closure of sixteen junior schools and nurseries. Many of these schools belong to the poorest communities in the borough where the people consider these schools and nurseries to be at the heart of their own communities and do not think that their "quality of life is strengthening" when they are having to fight these proposed closures.
Undeterred by this thought, David Miliband then addresses himself to the question that "education remains the number one goal for the government in its second term". What is key in this, he explains is the "reform of the secondary level". And this means the government is "expanding specialist schools and the city academies, not giving up on the comprehensive principle, but modernising it so that it effectively serves the people who matter most – the pupils". He identifies the problem that a significant number of young people "turn off education between 11 and 14, but we also need to tackle the culture of pupils leaving school at 16, making sure they've got the skills that employers need".
Having in one sentence said who matters most – the pupils – David Miliband in the next sentence reveals this modernisation has nothing to do with the needs of the pupils and raising their level of education but is about "making sure that they have got the skills that employers need". Elaborating this point that the pupils must develop the skills that employers need he advocates that if the curriculum on offer is "more vocational, broader and practical, then it is more likely that young people will be enthusiastic about staying within education". He tries to clinch his self-serving argument by saying that "we must emphasise that learning is not uncool but something that will help them live their dreams" and "its important we remember that education doesn't just belong in the class room". He then goes on to argue for improvement in adult education emphasising only literacy and numeracy skills.
His words come at a time when the government is cutting back in general adult education and focusing the remaining resources on numeracy and literacy skill directly linked to the interests of the employer. So, according to the School Standards Minister, the youth will regain their enthusiasm to learn once the education system is in line with a curriculum that is "more vocational, broader and practical" and then an adult education system which concentrates on numeracy and literacy skills. In other words, the youth will "live their dreams" as long as they accept the status quo and remain marginalised. New Labour's vision is that education at school and afterwards must gear itself to a low wage mass unemployment economy, where workers get behind their employers in the global market, where people learn to accept that job security is a thing of the past and that they must switch in an out of work according to the needs of these employers who will come and go to make maximum profits out of what they produce, or what services they provide.
A modern education system, if it is to be progressive, must not narrow down education to a vocational level but must prepare the youth and adults with a broad understanding and scientific outlook towards the present day world. Education should enlighten people about the world and present day events and their history. Education should enable people so that they can better stand up for their rights and interests, and the rights and interests of the collectives to which they belong, in a world of global monopolies and cuts in social spending and public services and a world that is being plunged into war by the big powers. The youth need education that raises their level so that they can think and act for themselves and start to end their marginalisation from decision making in society so they can fully participate in society and change how it is run and how it is organised. Education is a right and society must raise the level of the education of the youth and all in society so that they are equipped to play their part in the fight to humanise society and the environment.
