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What are we educating for?

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Published on 27 October 2023

Dr Gary Husband
Dr Gary Husband

Dr Gary Husband, Associate Professor of Further, Adult and Vocational Education at the University of Sunderland has written an article discussing the long-term impacts of a policy focus framing education as a means only for securing work.

Writing for the Association of Colleges (AOC), Gary takes a critical examination of the national discourse on education, and explores the wider societal and personal benefits of collaboration, community and the arts, that leads us to ask, what are we educating for?

He explains: “What part does community play and is there a consideration that in many instances, being in a safe group, collaborating, socialising and communicating and co-existing is perhaps more important than the subject being studied.”

Gary is Head of the Centre for Research in Education in the Faculty of Education and Society and has a history of teaching and leadership in further and higher education. Gary’s research interests are focused on governance, leadership, creative and arts-based research methods and community education.

He is also Vice Chair at Newbattle Abbey College and Chair of the Association of Research in Post Compulsory Education.

To read the full AOC article, click here: https://www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaigns-parliament/news-views/aoc-blogs/what-are-we-educating-for-gary-husband