Some thoughts on education and on tolerance and understanding.

On Any Questions on the radio the other evening one of the questioners asked the panel which degree courses they thought should be eliminated, in the light of Rishi Sunak’s suggestion that the only degrees universities should provide should be ones that more or less guarantee good wage earning within fifteen months of graduating. To a man the panel failed to answer the question. Oh, they went on at length about the value of education, some saying that the degree they did gave them insight into all sorts of things. But none of them was prepared to say categorically that  X or Y is a useless degree subject. On the follow-up programme, Any Answers, however, someone suggested that PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) should go, as it seems to be a breeding ground for useless politicians. Hmm!

A worrying number of universities have already cancelled courses in some of the humanities, including English, both Language and Literature.  So here’s a link to an article about famous people who studied English at university. They didn’t all end up as teachers of English, by the way. One of them is Michael Gove. Most stated that reading books is good for you and increased the readers’ empathy and tolerance and general understanding of the world.

We need some of that empathy and tolerance and the ability to see things from other people’s viewpoints in this crazy where a writer like Salman Rushdie has his life put at risk by a crazy knife wielder. Fortunately Salman Rushdie has been taken off the ventilator and is able to talk, which must be a good sign.

Thinking of tolerance and understanding, here’s a link to another article, this time about Taliban officials who are sending their daughters abroad to be educated. This might be seen as hypocrisy but could also be a sign of hope for a future in which girls can be educated equally to boys. It makes sense to educate them, even if you believe in segregation. If you want your women to be examined only by women doctors, those doctors need to be educated. The fear is, of course, that those educated women might get ideas above their station. Crazy world!

Here’s another aspect of our need for tolerance and understanding. We read a lot about women coming under pressure to conform to “norms” of size and appearance. Many clothings companies, it must be said, now advertise with models of all shapes and sizes, which is a step forward. But I read this in an article the other day (I failed to note down where it came from, probably the Guardian):-

“Doctors and nurses often “weight-shame” people who are overweight or obese, leaving them feeling anxious, depressed and wrongly blaming themselves for their condition, research has found.

Such behaviour, although usually the result of “unconscious weight bias”, leads to people not attending medical appointments, feeling humiliated and being more likely to put on weight.”

It’s not just a British problem either:-

“The problem is so widespread around the world that health professionals need to be taught as students that excess weight is almost guaranteed in modern society and not the fault of individuals, so they treat people more sensitively, according to the authors of the study, who have shared their findings with the Guardian.”

I have to bite my tongue and not say, “Ah, but in many cases it is the fault of the individual!” And then I remember that I am really a tolerant, inclusive, empathetic person.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!