Education risks taking "a step back in time

Citation

(2002), "Education risks taking "a step back in time", Education + Training, Vol. 44 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2002.00444aab.004

Education risks taking "a step back in time"

Education risks taking "a step back in time"

Proposed changes to the education system could mean a step back towards a time when boys and girls received completely different kinds of education, the Equal Opportunities Commission has warned. Jenny Watson, the organization's deputy chair, welcomed Government proposals to maximize the range of subject choices available to young people, but warned that plans to increase the number of specialist schools and introduce new vocational GCSEs could lead to even greater differences in the education and career choices of young men and women. "Outdated ideas about what is 'women's work' and 'men's work' seem to have far too much influence on the subject choices young people make," she said. "For example, this year's foundation GNVQ results showed that girls accounted for only 19 per cent of passes in information technology, and boys for 10 per cent of health and social-care qualifications."

This educational divide is felt to limit young people's career choices. "We won't see more male nurses or female IT workers without the active promotion of non-traditional choices. The Government will need to work closely with schools to ensure that all courses are promoted in ways that encourage young people to question stereotypical choices. Otherwise, more specialization and more emphasis on vocational training could take us back to a time when it was accepted that boys and girls received different types of education. The Equal Opportunities Commission is calling for a new fund to encourage schools to increase vocational choices for both sexes. We also campaign to challenge sex stereotypes and to encourage young people to consider all options."