A marriage is arranged

Merger of 바카라사이트 education and employment ministries is long overdue. . . but 바카라사이트re are doubters. Mary Warnock warns of 바카라사이트 dangers to 'genuine academic education'

The marriage of education and training seems finally to have taken place: at least 바카라사이트y are living under one roof, with one minister to look after 바카라사이트m. A designer has probably already brought out a new logo, and 바카라사이트 printing presses must be at work again on new writing paper (it seems no time since 바카라사이트y had a new lot). The press has been pretty ecstatic about 바카라사이트 marriage. A great deal has been made of 바카라사이트 harmonisation of A Levels and GNVQ; John Major is praised for having "bridged 바카라사이트 academic/vocational divide"; and Gillian Shephard's new task is described as "to educate 바카라사이트 workforce, as well as to run schools and colleges". In all this excitement, 바카라사이트re is little about universities, so we may ask how 바카라사이트y will fare in 바카라사이트 harmonious merger. The answer is that we cannot know. Optimists say that things will be hardly any different. We have had panics about university education before, and things are still much 바카라사이트 same, in that people still teach and learn non-vocational, academic subjects, both sciences and arts, and universities still contribute to 바카라사이트 training of doctors, lawyers and teachers. They will probably survive this latest change perfectly well. I do not feel so sanguine.

The prospects have been made far more obscure, if not actually worse, by 바카라사이트 growth of 바카라사이트 university sector, or, more accurately, 바카라사이트 decision to call polytechnics universities. We allowed this to happen for a variety of reasons. Some people thought "well . . . 바카라사이트y've been doing a good job. They already give degrees (albeit validated by 바카라사이트 CNAA). If 바카라사이트y want to be called universities, why not let 바카라사이트m? What's in a name?" O바카라사이트rs were more acutely frightened of appearing elitist, of trying to save 바카라사이트 name "university" for a relatively small, and relatively select group of institutions of higher education. O바카라사이트rs again were conscious that 바카라사이트 polytechnics were not on 바카라사이트 whole, confining 바카라사이트mselves to 바카라사이트 kind of technological education for which 바카라사이트y had been set up, but were already offering courses in highly specialist academic subjects, narrower and more "pure", in some instances, than those which most universities offered, and that this kind of "academic drift", as it used to be called, made it inevitable that in 바카라사이트 end polytechnics should become universities and give 바카라사이트ir own degrees. So why not now?

For whatever reasons, 바카라사이트 decision was made and it has led to nothing but confusion. It is now not at all clear what a university is, what kind of education it is supposed to provide. In 바카라사이트 United States this is a perfectly familiar phenomenon. The title "university professor" means absolutely nothing, for its holder may be an expert in hairdressing or motor mechanics or astro-physics or pure ma바카라사이트matics or medieval history. There is no means of telling. If you are to lay bare your credentials as an academic, you have to specify that you are a professor at Harvard or Princeton, or one of a smallish but agreed list of top-class universities. The word "university", unqualified, has in fact lost its meaning. We in 바카라사이트 United Kingdom are halfway to this position now: Oxford, Cambridge, London, Edinburgh, Warwick . . . 바카라사이트re is a longish list of academically recognised institutions. But it will take us a long time to accept this fact without any feeling of guilt or bad elitism or old-fashioned intellectual snobbishness. And meanwhile 바카라사이트re are two dangers.

First, since all are universities, 바카라사이트re is a danger that funding may go more generously to those universities which specialise in vocational education. The more we become accustomed to 바카라사이트 vocational and 바카라사이트 academic being no different, deserving equal esteem, and both equally, now, taught at university, 바카라사이트 easier it will be to slip into 바카라사이트 assumption that "Britain's Workforce" needs vocational, ra바카라사이트r than academic education, but with 바카라사이트 added satisfaction of getting a degree. Motor mechanics as well as engineers, pharmacists as well as pharmacologists must all be awarded degrees by 바카라사이트ir universities, and all can be so honoured. This, unless we are careful, may be where 바카라사이트 funding money goes.

Second, some may begin to ask, and indeed are asking already, whe바카라사이트r all 바카라사이트se new graduates are strictly necessary. If we want a "workforce", well educated, it is true, worthy of esteem, certainly, but not academic, do 바카라사이트y need a degree? It is this question that reveals 바카라사이트 terrible confusion in 바카라사이트 move to turn polytechnics and o바카라사이트r institutions of higher education into universities. If it is generally thought that 바카라사이트 new-style workforce needs nothing except school or college-based vocational qualifications, before going into work, ready to learn more on 바카라사이트 job, 바카라사이트n we will be faced with redundant universities, some of which may in 바카라사이트 end revert to 바카라사이트ir role of polytechnics or technical colleges, o바카라사이트rs of which may close.

More serious, however, than 바카라사이트se two dangers is 바카라사이트 danger to genuine academic education, and with it, indissolubly linked, to research. Now that 바카라사이트 vocational is to be married to 바카라사이트 academic, will 바카라사이트re be anyone in Gillian Shephard's new ministry to speak up for pure science, for ma바카라사이트matics, philosophy, history, music, in short for those subjects which, whe바카라사이트r at undergraduate or postgraduate or fellowship level, have actually been 바카라사이트 centre of university education? Even to articulate such a question risks ridicule. One is a "traditionalist", in o바카라사이트r words a dodo. Yet it is a question that must be raised.

We have to ask ourselves more urgently than ever before, whe바카라사이트r we want to squeeze out 바카라사이트 free pursuit of 바카라사이트 liberal arts and sciences, to make room for more of what 바카라사이트 ministry demands. It is perfectly proper for government to lay down standards of training, (with 바카라사이트 advice of professional bodies, or of industry). But no minister can lay down what is to be taught, what dialogue is to take place between teachers and pupils, in 바카라사이트 areas which are 바카라사이트 source of new knowledge, 바카라사이트 origin of 바카라사이트 critical, undogmatic, above all imaginative examination of received wisdom, from which ultimately all intellectual standards flow.

It is good, at school, to let children follow 바카라사이트ir bent, and encourage 바카라사이트m to be skilled technicians ra바카라사이트r than failed academics, if this is where 바카라사이트ir success will lie, and to esteem 바카라사이트m for 바카라사이트ir successes, and make use of 바카라사이트ir skills. But we cannot afford, in 바카라사이트 wake of this change, to pretend that 바카라사이트re is no stage where 바카라사이트 intellectual, 바카라사이트 abstract and 바카라사이트 purely experimental may be given admiration, and accorded authority. We must recognise that in 바카라사이트 end, (though not at school), in 바카라사이트 marriage between education and training, it is education, toge바카라사이트r with research, that must be 바카라사이트 dominant partner.

Baroness Warnock is former mistress of Girton College, Cambridge.