|
Reform |
This
week’s expenses revelations are a graphic
illustration
of a broader point – people are now aggressively questioning the value for money
of public institutions. As well as putting their own house in order, politicians
should take a closer look at all public expenditure and decide what really does
offer the taxpayer value for money.
Dale
Bassett, Editor
|
Quote of the |
“How
do you keep talented lower-class people at the bottom of the heap? You would
devise a system of education that values equality and solidarity more than
academic achievement … Young proletarians shouldn’t be educated beyond society’s
needs. Any sense of resentment will be soothed by feel-good qualifications. And
if the young people conceive that their qualifications should allow them into
university, this should be encouraged. But how to explain the lack of suitable
places? Aha! The concept of ‘parity of esteem’. This extends equality theory by
persuading students that the institution formerly known as Scunthorpe Catering
College is now a university and is as good as Cambridge.”
Simon
Carr, The Independent
