Implications of the Education Reform Act: Administration in Further Education
| DOI | 10.1177/014473949101100102 |
| Published date | 01 March 1991 |
| Date | 01 March 1991 |
| Author | A TOAL |
Teaching
Public
Administration:
Sprinll
1991
vol.IX
no.1
pp.13-Z4
IMPLICATIONS
OF
THE
EDUCATION
REFORM
ACT:
ADMINISTRATION
IN
FURTHER
EDUCATION
A TOAL
Department
of
Education
and
Administration
New
Co11elle,
Durham
All
our
cadres
whatever
their
rank,
are
servants
of
the
people,
and
whatever
we
do
is
to
serve
the
people.
How
then
can
we
be
reluctant
to
discard
any
of
our
bad
traits.
Mao
Tsetung
(The
Tasks
for
1945 -15 December 1944)
For
the
purpose
of
attaining
freedom
in
society
man
must
use
social
science
to
understand
and
change
society
and
carry
out
social
revolution.
Mao
Tsetung
(5
February
1940)
INTRODUCTION
Education
is
once
again
at
the
top
of
the
political
agenda;
perhaps
equal
first
with
the
National
Health
Service.
Many would
argue
that
education
is
never
off
political
agendas
merely
that
from time
to
time
it
changes
its
order
within
the
top
three
or
four.
It
may
be
that
the
agenda
is
currently
dominated
by
arguments
about
resources
for
education
-more
resources
to
enable
the
system
to
deliver
that
which
reform
has
seemingly
promised.
But
what
has
it
promised,
and
how
do
those
promises
relate
to
principles
and
problems
of
public
administration?
If
it
does
over-promise
how
far
does
it
reflect
Schumacher's
view
of
education?:
In
a
very
real
sense
therefore
we
can
say
that
education
is
the
most
vital
of
all
resources.
If
Western
civilisation
is
in
a
state
of
permanent
crisis
it
is
not
far
fetched
to
suggest
that
there
may
be
something
wrong
with
its
education.
No
civilisation
has
devoted
more
energy
and
resources
to
organised
education
and
if
we
believe
in
nothing
else
we
certainly
believe
that
education
is,
or
should
be,
the
key
to
everything.
In
fact
belief
in
education
is
so
strong
that
we
treat
it
as
the
residual
legatee
of
all
our
problems.
(Schumacher,
1973).
Before
we examine
the
important
aspects
of
reform
and
education
it
is
important
to
recognise
that
we
cannot
easily
separate
educational
change
from
the
wider
changes
which
have
been
affecting
public
administration
generally
and
local
government
in
particular.
After
all
education
is
the
biggest
spending
service
operated
by
major
local
authorities,
it
consumes
large
quantities
of
manpower
and
resources.
13
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