Education Week

Education Week 

This week was Education Week. David Howes, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Education, reported on it this week for schools in our weekly Update: 

Education Week is an opportunity both to reflect on why we do the work we do and to celebrate that work with our communities. It is often said that education can transform lives. And that is true. As Nelson Mandela observed, ‘It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation.’ 

It is also true that education can play a less dramatic but, for every individual, just as important a role in enabling a more fulfilling life. Through friendships formed, curiosity piqued, knowledge acquired, skills developed and horizons widened. 

We are reminded on an almost daily basis now, of the reality of the paradox that for so many young people, the more digitally connected they are, the more socially isolated they have become. 

This is why the social component of schooling remains such a critically important element of the work we do – supporting and enabling young people to form friendships, to understand what it means to work and play with others of different backgrounds, beliefs and opinions and to appreciate what others know and can contribute. 

But it is also work that too often goes unrecognised and uncelebrated – in part perhaps because it seems too obvious to mention. In a world in which building social cohesion is more and more important, it might be that we should make it more visible. 

Education Week this year provides this opportunity with the theme ‘Showcase your school’. I think it’s a great theme because there is so much to celebrate about what is good in every one of our schools. 

Of course that includes celebrating the learning that’s happening and demonstrating that through art and technology exhibitions, sports awards, speeches, concerts and other displays of student work. 

Education Week can also be about celebrating the people who make your school great – the volunteers, parents and carers and staff who contribute to making your school not only a place but a social community. 

For one week in the year, let’s not be shy about showcasing how good that work is! 

David Howes  Deputy Secretary  Schools and Regional Services