THE Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, is reported to have suggested that education should be regarded only as a means to an end, not as an end in itself.
If he has been reported correctly, he can only be described as an absolute philistine, totally unsuited for the post which he holds.
Apparently, those who live in so-called Ivory Towers are regarded with grandiose contempt.
Such attitudes display crude materialism - typical of both New Labour and Thatcherite Toryism.
There can only be one civilised view - education is, primarily, an end in itself. Academia is the leavening of the bread of life. Without academics there would be a danger of life on the planet becoming as an arid wasteland.
Of course, education may also be a means to an end - but that's only of secondary importance.
D E MARGRETT,
Worcester.
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