Wasted: Why Education Isn't Educating [Hardcover]

"Well researched... Interesting content, persuasive arguments... Good to get the cogs in the brain ticking over The Bookbag Furedi build his case methodically and argues it carefully, if not elegantly. He supports it with quotes from politicians and educationalists... the analysis rings true, as does Furedi's defence of a subject-based curriculum and a philosophy of education that recognises the duty of one generation to impart a canon of knowledge to the next. The Observer A thought provoking read. Morning Star" ---

'[A] penetrating critique.' --Family Bulletin --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Furedi turns his attention to the education system, skilfully analyzing current processes and providing a way forward. Never has so much attention been devoted to education - and the problems with it. Yet we rarely ask why everyone from the government to parents continually obsess about it. Why are we so constantly worried about it? Why do so many of the solutions proposed actually make matters worse? Tony Blair's 'education, education, education' slogan ensured it remained at the forefront of political agendas. However, the more education is talked about the clearer it becomes that education is not considered as a value in its own right. It is praised for its potential contribution to economic development, as a central instrument for encouraging social inclusion and mobility. Increasingly, the promotion of education has little to do with learning as such. This book is a brilliant piece of analysis. No one from Piaget to David Cameron is safe from Furedi's criticism.

Frank Furedi is Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He is the author of numerous books including Invitation to Terror and Paranoid Parenting, all published by Continuum.