Esha Magazine January 2012.pdf

GUEST COLUMN IAN BAUCKHAM
the UK, and in other parts of the English-speaking world opinion is
similarly divided.
Despite many misgivings about some of the current politicallyinspired
reforms, I would defend the notion that education should
be politically influenced. Politics at source is the art, or science, of
managing the affairs of the polis, the city-state. What more central
topic can there be to the affairs of our social units than how we
organise the education of our young people This enterprise cannot
be seen as the private property of any individual or cadre of
professionals – it should, in my view, in a democratic society, in
in the realm of politics. I would advocate not complaining about
‘politicians interfering’ in professional matters, but rather ourselves
actively engaging with politics and the political debate around education.
This will help to regenerate our democracies, reinvigorate our
societies and re-engage a wider range of people with all-important
questions of how to prepare the next generation of young people
for live in our communities.
8 ESHA MAGAZINE JANUARY 2012