Towards Democracy And Equality

This essay is a study of the British educational reforms during the 50 years from the 1940s to 1990s. During this period, education has been a major focus of the government policy and a series of educational reforms took place, bringing democracy and equality to British society.The essay reviews the British educational situation prior to 1944 first, showing that the school system has historically been elitist at all levels, benefiting only the children of the well-to-do. The working-class either received the meanest rudiments of literacy or was denied any form of education. However, social demand for democracy, parents'requirement for equality and economic development began to make educational reforms inevitable. Then the essay demonstrates the two crucial educational reforms in Britain -- popularizing secondary education and expanding higher education.Firstly, after the Education Bill in 1944, the school leaving age was raised to 15 and then to 16 years old. Every child, regardless of the family background, could receive one kind of secondary education, namely, grammar, modern and technical. In 1965 the Labor Government issued Circular 10/65 to bring about comprehensive secondary education, ensuring that all children are given equal opportunities to master knowledge and skills. In order to be more democratic, the British government took measures to encourage active participation of parents, students and communities in the affair of schools, such as establishing Governing Bodies, setting up Parent-Teacher Association etc. Not only teachers but also parents, students and other social groups all have a say in the management of schools. Meanwhile, the more practical and varied common curriculum took the place of the humanities-oriented one. It was the working-class that became the main beneficiaries. Secondly, after Robins Report, which advocated expanding higher education, the authorities started to promote the concept of equal access to higher education. The able, no matter what social class they are from, could find their way to university and then to the heights of the social system. On the other hand, the development of further education to cope with unemployment and the need to raise the level of skills in the workforce provided the lower-class with more opportunities and competitiveness. After analyzing the British educational reforms during the 50 years, the essay comes to the conclusion that the educational system in Britain has been largely democratized, helping to improve social equality and democracy. The analysis and the conclusion are undoubtedly of great significance to China which is on its path to a harmonious society and the education reforms of which are now under way.