The Flexible University: Some Historical Reflexions on the Analysis of Education and the Modern British Economy

Abstract

In recent years, cultural conservatism and the associated shortcomings of scientific and technical education have come to be widely regarded as important causes of Britain's industrial difficulties. But what hope is there that the educational reforms now being advocated by the British government will be any more effective than many similar ones that have been tried in Europe since the mid-nineteenth century? Historical evidence suggests that the British government's present strategy, with its emphasis on the need for institutions of higher education to respond sensitively to the immediate demands of industry, could prove ineffective or even damaging. In particular, we should beware of the beguilingly attractive notion of `flexibility', which is in reality fraught with ambiguity.