Aspiration is the key to
getting education right.
There are all of which
suggests that the real problems is not one of investment, but of an unhealthy,
culture within parts of the education sector. Shanghai in China was the top
rated jurisdiction in each subject: ironically, a nominally communist country has
embraced aspiration and elitism just as we have abandoned them. Chinese
teachers who are continuously trained throughout their career enjoy such status
that they can call up parents and demand to know whether children are doing
their homework. The system does not presume that pupils will slowly specialize,
or drop out; the expectation is that they will excel in all areas right up-to
university. And behind every success story is a tiger mother or father pushing
their child on. The story is similar across Asia. In Singapore more than 80
percent of primary school pupils enjoy private tuition. Compare that to the
depressing statistic report that 24 percent of British students had skipped
classes or whole days of school.
The UK does boast areas of
excellent in education particularly in the independent and grammar sectors. But
large parts of the comprehensive system have fallen victims to an egalitarian
education theory that finds aspiration embarrassing. Turning that situation
around will take hard work and time. Britain has to get this right not just for
our economic future but for the sake of the millions of children who could
achieve so much more education.
