Democracy. A word often banded around in describing a system to aspire to, that other nations should strive for. But when it comes to organizing education reform, Michael Gove is discarding the accountable, democratic approach of statute law for privately negotiated contract law, as observes Graham Clayton in this article from the guardian.
If democracy is a system we all appreciate and wish to pass onto our future generations, what kind of message is this sending? This would probably not be the first example of the current government preaching one thing and practicing another.
In the meantime, I'm continuing my studies into the presence of democracy in schools today. An inspiring example comes from the Swedish Preschool Curriculum, which can be downloaded in full from the Ministry for Education website.
Why is this all important? More on that soon.
For now, I'll leave you with John Dewey:
"Democracy cannot flourish where the chief influences in selecting subject matter of instruction are utilitarian ends narrowly conceived for the masses, and, for the higher education of the few, the traditions of a specialized cultivated class."
(Dewey, J. (2004) Democracy and Education. New York: Dover Publications: Page 8)
Oh, and I can't get this song out of my head today.
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