Mid Project

Having written a first draft of my essay I now need to refine it. My aim is to structure the essay under the following bullet points:

·         Introduction

·         What makes a person literate?

·         Definitions of Functional Literacy

·         Advantages of Functional Literacy

·         Problems associated with implementing literacy programmes

·         Social benefits of literacy

·         Economic benefits of literacy

·         Importance of adult literacy

·         What actually are the desires of the Nigerian community?

·         Nigerian Case Study

·         Could Functional Literacy programmes be improved further?

·         Conclusion

I have decided to change the title to 'What effects can functional literacy have on economic and social development?' as my research has become increasingly focused on the advantages of functional literacy.

Final Research

My aim now is to find a specific literacy programme in a certain country to research further. In returning to UNESCO, I found some more information as to their goals regarding improvement of world literacy:

 The Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) is conceived as a ten-year (2006-2015) strategic framework through which national governments, NGOs, civil society, the private sector, UN agencies, and bilateral and multilateral agencies collectively accelerate literacy efforts in 35 countries where illiteracy poses a critical challenge. As a key operational mechanism for the implementation of the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD, 2003-2012), which is led and coordinated by UNESCO, LIFE is an initiative to support countries in achieving a 50 per cent improvement in their adult literacy rates by 2015.  

LIFE is:

• A framework of collaborative action for enhancing and improving national literacy efforts.

• A process in support of literacy which is country-led and country-specific.

• A support mechanism embedded in national policies and strategies.

• An initiative for technical support services and facilitation by UNESCO in the areas of policy, advocacy, partnership, capacity-building and innovation.

I also came across a number of literacy programmes which have been implemented across the globe. http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=4   These could be used as potential case studies for my project.

UNESCO's advice as to how to implement a successful education programme could prove invaluable to my project.

What people can do with literacy often depends on how they learned it. Well-designed programmes will give the best opportunities for learning sustainable literacy skills and using them for meaningful purposes.

Effective and sustainable literacy programmes need various key components:

Relevant content and materials
A literacy programme must respond to changing literacy needs and assimilate to the learner’s environment, circumstances and prior learning, with respect to gender, linguistic and cultural diversity.

Appropriate pedagogical approaches
Children, adolescents and adults learn in different ways and bring different perspectives to literacy instruction. Programmes need to adapt according to learners’ profiles and learning goals. Formal, non-formal or informal approaches may characterize literacy programmes.

Training of literacy personnel
Well-trained facilitators are essential for effective programme delivery. The profile of literacy facilitators needs to be enhanced through effective and systematic pre- and in-service training.

Beyond basic literacy
Literacy is closely linked to development and improving quality of life. It offers the chance to combine other skills training with literacy learning. In addition, learners may acquire a certificate recognizing a level of competencies equivalent to formal schooling.

A literate environment
The sustainability of literacy skills relies on a literate environment. Fostering local writing and the use of ICT and other medias contribute to strengthening the literate environment.

Further data: http://www.uis.unesco.org/literacy/Pages/default.aspx?SPSLanguage=EN 

The Dakar Framework for Action

The Dakar Framework for Action official documentation is available at  http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/ed_for_all/dakfram_eng.shtml

 I have decided to research The Dakar Framework for Action established at the World Education Forum in 2000. This is interesting and valid as it covers a recent period of history and is also looking to the future as the goals are to supposedly be achieved by 2015.

‘This document commits governments to achieving quality basic education for all by 2015, with particular emphasis on girls' schooling and a pledge from donor countries and institutions that "no country seriously committed to basic education will be thwarted in the achievement of this goal by lack of resources.’

Known as the biggest review on education in history...

 ‘The Dakar Framework for Action draws on the results of the global EFA 2000 Assessment involving more than 180 countries. Launched in 1998, this global exercise was the most comprehensive study ever made of basic education. It was carried out by national teams assisted by ten regional advisory groups, comprising UN agencies the World Bank, bilateral donor agencies, development banks and inter-governmental organizations.

Preliminary results were debated at five regional preparatory conferences and a special gathering of the nine high-population countries (E9) between December 1999 and February 2000 (in Johannesburg, South Africa; Bangkok, Thailand; Cairo, Egypt; Recife, Brazil; Warsaw, Poland; and Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic).’

This is what it found...  

‘The assessment revealed a mixed scorecard. The number of children in school soared (from 599 million in 1990 to 681 million in 1998) and many countries were approaching full primary school enrolment for the first time. On the other hand, some 113 million children were out of school, discrimination against girls was widespread and nearly a billion adults – mostly women – were illiterate. The lack of qualified teachers and learning materials was the reality for too many schools.

While the donor community was criticized for dwindling aid commitment, some countries such as Bangladesh, Brazil and Egypt were earmarking close to 6 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) for education. For some African countries, education absorbs up to a third of the national budget, although several of them spend as much on debt repayment as on health and basic education combined.

Disparities in quality were also widespread. Over-conservative systems were out of touch with young people’s needs, in sharp contrast with the plethora of initiatives that successfully adapted learning to local needs or reached out to marginalized populations. New media and virtual networks had also started to shake the dust off education systems.’

This document also looks ahead. The main challenges are seen to be:

o   How to reach out with education to people in Africa and other such regions with HIV/AIDS.

o   How to offer education to increasing numbers of refugees and displaced people.

o   How to help teachers to acquire a new understanding of their role.

o   How to help education overcome poverty.

This information was taken from  http://www.unesco.org/education

The Dakar Framework for Action

‘Educating girls is a development strategy that works.’ Kofi Annan –Dakar World Education conference

UNESCO

Day 3 Research

I have found a website called Oxford Bibliographies Online http://www.oxfordbibliographiesonline.com which features loads of articles on different subject areas. There is one article on functional literacy but unfortunately the rest are not available until October so I will keep checking.

Definition of Functional Literacy

It turns out Functional Literacy was a term coined in the 1960s when UNESCO started to look at the problem of illiteracy in developing countries. Here are some definitions:

o   The definition employed by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics sees functional literacy as a level of reading, writing, and calculation skills sufficient to function in the particular community in which an individual lives.

o   Collins, John W., III, and Nancy Patricia O’Brien, eds. 2003. The Greenwood dictionary of education. Westport, CT: Greenwood defines functional literacy as the minimum needed to meet personal and social needs in general education.

In following up the Jomtien conference of 1990 from David Barton’s article, I came across the United Nations website. The Jomtien Conference took place 5-9 March 1990 and was entitled the World Conference on Education for All. 1990 was also the International Literacy Year.

‘In 1990, the International Literacy Year, about 1,500 delegates from 155 countries met in Thailand, and called upon all countries to universalize adequate basic education. The Conference participants adopted the World Declaration on Education for All and a Framework for Action: Meeting Basic Learning Needs. The Declaration begins by stating that every person child, youth and adult shall be able to benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their basic learning needs.’

The World Declaration on Education for All was a historic demonstration of the will and commitment of countries to establish in the area of child, adult and family education a new basis for overcoming inequality and generating new opportunities for eradicating poverty. Emphasis was placed not only on access to basic education, but also on the quality of education and actual learning outcomes.

This information talks about how education can overcome poverty. I would like to investigate further impacts of education upon development and I am sure that this in turn could lead to a decrease in poverty. The information also stated that (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Bank) all signed on to promote the programme. These could be useful contacts for further information.

‘The International Consultative Forum on Education for All, with its secretariat located at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, was established as an interagency body to guide and monitor follow-up actions to the World Conference in Jomtien.’

Six years later, there was a mid decade Education for All meeting in Amman on 16-19 June 1996.

‘This brought together some 250 decision-makers from 73 countries. Their aim: to assess the advances made since the Jomtien Conference.’

Then in April 2000 (26-28) there was a World Education Forum held in Dakar.  

‘This was the first and most important event in education at the dawn of the new century. By adopting the Dakar Framework for Action, which incorporated the six Regional Frameworks for Action, the Forum participants demonstrated a collective commitment to action to achieve the goals and targets of Education for All by 2015.’

This information was taken from the United Nations website.   www.un.org   

Day 2 Research

Just found a great article written by David Barton. I am now looking at the history of literacy programmes and this gives a good introduction. Maybe I could look at one particular programme of recent years introduced by a large organisation and discuss positives and negatives? I am sure there would be lots of information and opinions out there. These programmes, as discussed in the article, are aimed at improving economic and social development, which is exactly what I want to research further for this project. The article mentions UNESCO and the EWLP and the efforts of the 1960s. However, it also talks of more recent programmes such as REFLECT by Action Aid and World Education projects in Africa and Asia. I think it is important I look at recent developments in the field.

·         NB International Literacy Year 1990 Jomtien Conference, United Nations Literacy decade running until 2012, Education for All

The article mentions how there are many different philosophies on functional literacy and the success of these programmes. Also, how there is still a need for them to improve and adapt.

I definitely need to get focused on my project. I am planning to conduct at least half an hour each day of research for around 4-5 weeks. Hopefully this will give me a good basis for writing my essay in half term.

SMART planning...

SMART stands for:

  S - Specific - the target must say exactly what needs to be learned or done.

  M - Measurable- It must say exactly how this can be measured.

  A - Achievable - The target must not be too hard or too large, better to have several small targets leading to a larger goal.

  R - Realistic - It must be possible to get access to any training, books or help needed to meet the target.

  T - Timed - There should be a set time limit for achieving the target.

Manchester Library Research: 16/08/11

Today I have been to the Main Library at Manchester University to conduct some research. I found a great section on literacy and made some notes as the books were unfortunately only for reference. I found a book entitled Functional Literacy in Mali: Training for Development released by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). It was part of a series Educational Studies and Documents which was based upon eradicating illiteracy in the developing world and how increased literacy can lead to better economic performance. The document was released in November 1964 so it is not recent. However, this shows how literacy as an issue has progressed. It documented pilot literacy projects in Mali and also Tanzania and Iran under the Experimental World Literacy Programme (EWLP). They were aimed at increasing economic and social development in those countries.

NB. I need to look up: ‘Literacy Newsletter’, Bernard Dumont, National Literacy Centre and World Congress of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy. Also ZAF and UNDP (who financed the scheme).

The publication talked of how it is important to understand the country’s history before implementing such a scheme and to have a firmly established social structure. The scheme gave training to workmen to follow increased technological growth and therefore have an impact on labour productivity (the rate of output per worker.)

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to read the document thoroughly, but have picked up some useful leads. Such as researching:

·         Functional Literacy

·         The need for production of materials

·         The geography of a country affecting such a scheme

·         Population growth rate and its effect on literacy rates.

A potential title for my project could be ‘How successful was the …scheme on increasing economic and social development of (country) …’

This document seemed like a really good evaluation of such schemes and I think it would be interesting to look at the information and come to my own conclusion. The ‘Malian Method’ as it is known came to the conclusion that literacy led to a good effect on production, which could be realised on a wider scale and a radical renewal of cultural life. It was especially effective in rural areas.

NB. Look up Malian Institute of Functional Literacy, Functional Literacy Service, Development Operations and Ministry of Overseas Development.

The Future of Literacy in a Changing World edited by Daniel A Wagner, talked about the different levels of illiteracy. I think this is something I need to look into further, as some literacy may be passable but not lead to economic/ social development. Also, models based around literacy. It was part of the Comparative and International Education Series. Again, however, this was published a while ago in 1973. I need to find some more recent views on the subject. It also discussed subjects such as learning disabilities, colonial literacy, maps of illiteracy and ABE programmes which I need to research further.

The final book I looked through was Illiteracy: A world Problem, one of the books from my original list. It was edited by Charles Joseph Jeffries in 1967.This book talked of the history of illiteracy and several other countries which have attempted schemes to eradicate or lessen the problem.

The countries are as follows:

·         Soviet Union

·         Turkey 1923

·         Philippines (Dr. Frank C Laubach)

·         India 1930s

·         Northern Nigeria 1950s

·         Ghana-Togoland scheme

·         Uganda (ARG Prosser)

·          Cuba

Supervisor Meeting

On the 4^th June I had a meeting with my supervisor, to discuss my plans for over the summer. He says I perhaps need to think about literacy and the positive effects it can have on development, rather than the negative effects of illiteracy. He also suggested I need to find different points of view on the subject and come to my own eventual conclusion. I know I need to refine my title and I think this will come after some initial research.

We also discussed looking at one country with a few comparisons to others, so the project has more focus. I could look at how the economic situation of the country has changed over time and elements such as average standard of living. The EU trading block was also mentioned as something I could look into.

My Plan of Action So Far

GOAL	ACTION TO BE TAKEN:	TIMELINE FOR ACTION:	POTENTIAL OBSTACLES	MONITORING:
A fully completed product by January 2012 either: (1)   A 5,000 word essay (2)   A product plus a 1,000 word report	-Planning of project -Research /Discussion -First Draft -Amendments -Second Draft	-Beginning of summer -Start to mid-summer -Mid-summer to end of summer -Autumn Term -Autumn Term	-Other commitments -Little access to supervisor for comments over summer	This is to be completed as you progress through your EPQ.
A presentation complete by February 2012	-Planning of how to develop essay into presentation -Writing of presentation -Amendments -Rewriting -Practice	-Autumn term ‘’ ‘’ -October half term -Up to Christmas	-May be hard to condense my essay. -Other commitments may put pressure on time
A fully completed production log by March 2012	-Record keeping of project -Completion of each section -Amendments	-Throughout project -Rolling timescale -Towards March	-Forgetting dates -Not recording events in enough detail

Potential Books for Research

These are a few of the books I managed to find on the University of Manchester John Rylands Library database. I am planning to visit again in the near future to conduct more research.

Adult Illiteracy and Economic Performance
published: 1992 OECD
Lauren A Benton
Thierry J Noyelle
-Joule Library

Innumeracy: mathematical illiteracy and its consequences
published: Hill and Wang 1988
John Allen Paulos
-Joule Library

Illiteracy: a world problem
published: Pall Mall Press 1967
Charles Joseph Jeffries
-Main Library

World Illiteracy at mid-century: a statistical study
published: UNESCO 1957
UNESCO
-Main Library

Concepts and measurements of illiteracy, semi literacy and literacy
published: Ibadan Uni Press 1981
JT Okedara
-Store

China's great economic transformation
published: Cambridge Uni Press 2008
Thomas G Rawski
-Main Library

Literacy, economy and society: results of the first international adult literacy survey
published: OECD 1995
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
-Joule Library

University of Manchester Library Trip Review

The trip to the University of Manchester was useful as I started thinking about how I would go about researching my project. However, we had already covered some of the areas discussed in the morning session, such as different research sources. The introduction to the library in the afternoon I felt was extremely useful and will enable me to use the resources there in the future. The library itself is huge and therefore to have a detailed explanation of how to go about finding what you need was helpful.  I have learnt how to access the library database and search for the books or journals I may want.

The key things I need to remember during my project are to plan everything and be disciplined in going about my research. As I have not done any EPQ work since my AS Levels, I think it will be a challenge to get back into a routine of researching and planning. I plan to use the free time I have ahead of me to do this to the best of my ability.

Websites for Research

These are a few websites I could use as an internet research base for my project.

http://hdr.undp.org/en/

The Human Development Index looks like it could be a great resource for my project. The 2010 Human Development Report features a 1970-2010 HDI trends analysis, identifying ’ top mover’ countries that have improved most in HDI terms over the past 40 years, using the original HDI indicators for health, education and income. It also enables you to build your own index for the different areas affecting human development such as health, poverty and education.


http://www.gapminder.org/

Gapminder World is an amazing website which provides you with data trends worldwide. Areas that can be studied from the graphs freely available include life expectancy and education. This graph maps the adult literacy rates of people over 15 in every country against the country’s GDP. The population of the country is shown in the size of the circle so this variable can be accounted for. You are also able to see the trend over a number of years. Maybe I could look at changes in literacy rates through history? Or if a specific country, such as China, has changed so much in terms of literacy rates and how this relates to its dramatic increase in GDP?

http://www.sil.org/

SIL International is an organisation that aims to encourage literacy all over the world. It ‘serves language communities worldwide, building their capacity for sustainable language development, by means of research, translation, training and materials development.

            I found that this website gave some good information about literacy’s effect on income. It suggests that income loss due to illiteracy does not just affect the individual but society at large.

‘According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, in the US alone, adult illiteracy carries an estimated price tag of more than $17 billion per year as a result of lost income and tax revenue, welfare, unemployment, crime and incarceration, and training cost for business and industry. This could suggest that the price tag for illiteracy at large is more than the cost of literacy.’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education/

To come to conclusions about literacy’s effect on development, I need to look into the areas of education and the economy, in those countries/country I choose to study. I thought the BBC’s website might provide me with articles on education that would enable more depth to my research. However, I think it may be a limited source for research into other countries other than the UK.

http://www.unesco.org.uk/

‘The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO is the focal point in the UK for UNESCO-related policies and activities.The Commission is an independent civil society organisation which supports UNESCO’s work in the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, and communication.’

UNESCO will hopefully be a good source for information about education around the world.

Possible changes to my project

           After speaking to Mr Reeve about focusing my EPQ title, I have some new ideas of changes I could make to my question. It was suggested that my question ‘how far can illiteracy halt the development of a country?’ is perhaps not something to be debated and that there is an obvious answer to it. I agree with this and do feel I have already come to the conclusion that illiteracy would be a major factor in slowing the development of a country. Therefore, in narrowing my field, I could look into how illiteracy is measured, for example, using The Human Development Index.
            It was also suggested that I should look at a specific country. I think it would be interesting to study a country such as China, which has developed so much in recent years. However, I probably wouldn’t be able to use ethnography as a form of research in this case, whereas having recently been to The Gambia I could use the information and experience I gained from there as a valuable resource. Kenya is another country I would like to look at as from my existing knowledge I know there is quite a large wealth gap as a result of increased tourism at the expense of the population inland. Perhaps I could compare two countries as I think this would be quite informative. Maybe I could look at an Eastern country compared to a Western country? Or a country in the northern hemisphere compared to the southern, as there is an assumed difference in lifestyle between them.
           I would definitely like to research a smaller topic area more thoroughly but I am still having difficulty deciding on how to word my question.

EPQ Presentation Evening Review

Overall, I found the EPQ evening informative and interesting. I attended talks by other students on the spread of blue tongue disease in cattle and sheep, fluoridation of water systems, the feminist movement, malaria cures and how a parent’s affection can affect a child’s brain development.

I found that the talks I went to mainly focused on the topic chosen, rather than talking about the actual process of the EPQ. I learnt a lot about the different subject areas but in terms of how the students went about researching and collating their findings, I don’t think I learnt that much. A few questions from the floor revealed how some of the students had gained information, for example the student who talked about malaria and its cures had completed work experience at the school of tropical medicine.

I was impressed at the way the students spoke and explained their topics to an audience; however a few used technical terminologies which I think some audience members may have struggled with. The structure of the speeches was also good and the points made were ordered and clear. I found the best speeches were the ones in which the students really tried to connect with the audience and make it conversational rather than purely reading off a script. I also think that being able to answer questions on their topics from extensive research was a good skill to have.

Watching the EPQ talks will definitely aid me with my own EPQ. Not only in showing me the sort of topic areas and research other students have carried out but I now have experience of the environment in which you complete your speech and the sort of questions audience members are likely to ask.

In terms of my own EPQ project, watching the EPQ talks has made me realise the importance of focusing my project so I am not trying to cover too wide a topic. However, as we have a fair amount of time to conduct research I think I would like to keep my topic open for a while and then narrow it down when I have researched further. The research around my initial question, 'how far can illiteracy rates halt the development of a country' could perhaps focus on education, an area I am quite interested in. However, I would still like to utilise my skills on the economics side for coming to a conclusion.

Further Research Methods

Having already looked in depth at focus groups as a form of research, I have conducted a study of other forms of research.

Questionnaires have both advantages and disadvantages. They can be done in a short amount of time but people may misinterpret the questions if it is a written questionnaire, so the questionnaire must be formed carefully and not be too long. You can gain a large range of data from different interest groups but results may be incomplete. I think a questionnaire would be a good source of data for my project.

Interviewing people allows one to one questioning and therefore has more depth. However, a person may be subjective. On the other hand, an expert can provide good objective information. I think interviewing people would be a viable form of research for my project. I think it is important to use a wide variety of research types in order to gain a wide, varied range of data to enhance my project. I could try to organise interviews with experts on the subject in order to hear their views first-hand.  

Interviewing by email allows for more time to think about and answer questions but phrasing of an answer may be hard to interpret. You are not likely to get an immediate response which is also a disadvantage. Interviewing by email would perhaps allow me to extend my research to experts in the field in other countries.

Ethnography is when you spend time in a country and take in a different culture. This may be impractical because of cost or danger and it may take a long time. However, it provides you with first-hand experience and allows you to come to your own judgement so your results are unique. I will most definitely be researching through ethnography on my trip to The Gambia. Hopefully this will provide a different perspective for my project and help to give it more depth.

Participant observation of group interaction allows you to see how a group reacts and gives you an idea of the workings of society. This can be done either covertly, when people don’t know they are being observed or overtly, when people do know they are being observed. I will most likely conduct some research in this way but I will have to look for any overly subjective views. I think a debate may be an interesting form of research that might stem from this.

Research can also take the form of non-participant observation which involves interpreting images, for example watching film. This may take a lot of time and a group may not act naturally if you are watching. However, you would not know them personally so the results would be more objective.

Content analysis is good for issues based research. It involves looking at webpages, newspapers, films and documentaries to see how views are portrayed. An advantage of content analysis is that it is easy to do however, views may be subjective.

Newspapers are good sources for recent event information. However, they are often based upon their reader's views which may display strong political bias. What is printed may also depend upon the editor's agenda.

Websites can be useful if you find the right ones for specific information. However, websites can display bias and on websites such as Wikipedia, people can alter the information so it may not be valid.

Government reports may be a good source of information for bigger issues. Although a disadvantage is that they are inherently biased and you may have to pay for them.

Books can be the best form of research. However, it is imperative that you look at the author and see if they are actually reflecting their research base.

Journal articles are bound to be up to date and are valid as they are peer reviewed and seen by a number of people when published. Their findings will also have been checked for accuracy. However, some of the language used may be inaccessible.

Quotas: Short term solution?

I plan to use my blog to record any pieces of information and research which may prove helpful to my project.
In listening out for potentially useful pieces of information which will help add depth to my project, I came across one particularly unsettling headline earlier this week:

"Universities in England could be stripped of the power to charge tuition fees of more than £6,000 a year if they fail to admit sufficient numbers of students from poorer backgrounds.”

This may sound as if I am opposing a measure which will help students from less affluent backgrounds into further education and am therefore being discriminatory. This is not the case. I am merely wishing to comment upon the government's handling of the education system. For me, introducing quotas is like cutting off the top of a dandelion. In other words, does not solve the problem at its roots. Obviously, I need to conduct further research into the system to back up these thought as at the moment they are only really normative statements. I would say, with the information I currently possess, that introducing quotas could damage the university system even further. It will deny good students from independent schools places at the top institutions. Where did this view that many people hold that everyone who attends public schools is 'rich' and everyone who attends state schools are 'poor' come from? The line is definitely not that clear cut or black and white. The government should focus on improving the state school system to provide a more equal footing for all prospective university candidates in the first place.

An article by Simon Heffer in The Daily Telegraph on Sunday I believe gives some really well thought out if slightly controversial statements which I found myself agreeing with. He believes that the quota system is just a way for the government to mask the problem.

'If this government did not maintain its doctrinaire, bigoted and ignorant prejudice against selective schools, the state system would produce many more students capable of thriving in the best institutions.' 

As I said before, this distinction between private and state schools seems to have become so set in stone and I don't think it is as simple as that. Fighting the war on the university battlefield will only result in unnecessary casualties. As Heffer says, 'it is not a great university's job to facilitate social mobility.' I feel that the quota system enforces a kind of positive discrimination in our society. Why should the government be 'sabotaging the life chance of gifted young people whose only crime was to have parents who made sacrifices to educate them privately'?

From an economic point of view, diluting the university system will surely see the country suffer in the long run? As Heffer puts it, 'we depend on these institutions for our future both as an economy and as a civilisation.' I would like to explore the theory that education is the framework upon which a country is built.

Simon Heffer. (2011). How to destroy our Universities. The Telegraph