Will they never learn at school?

Abstract

The suggestion that one of the primary aims of education is to prepare pupils for the situations and problems which will confront them in adult life is so obvious as to be almost platitudinous; yet I would venture to suggest that these aims are never properly attained. Schoolwork is of great value as a means of increasing a pupil's knowledge and academic skills. However once removed from the classroom environment, the majority of pupils will have a far greater need of other knowledge and, more importantly, other skills. While it is of course neither practicable to introduce a wide range of specific vocational training programmes into the curriculum, nor desirable to force a child into choosing and training for a career so early in life, it is nevertheless possible and perhaps highly desirable to provide some sort of coaching to prepare pupils in a general way for their future working life.

Citation

Sharp, K. (1982), "Will they never learn at school?", Education + Training, Vol. 24 No. 9, pp. 286-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb002091