MANDELSON SPEECH: NO PLACE FOR ADULT EDUCATION

U3A chairman Ian Searle said today:

“I was interested to hear Lord Mandelson’s call this afternoon for closer links between businesses and universities. It is regrettable that this was virtually his only reference to higher, further and adult education, all of which now come under the control of his very large department.

“The government is increasingly giving the impression that the only sort of education that matters is the sort that offers an immediate financial payoff; the sort that helps make money.

“I hope the U3A will not be left isolated as a lone voice calling for, and running, education for its own sake. Even in an economic crisis, there is no reason to abandon something that makes us civilised.  And this sort of education does affect the bottom line, because education in later life has been shown to keep us healthier and away from our doctors.”

NOTE FOR EDITORS
The University of the Third Age was founded in 1982 to enable older people to organise their own learning.  It works on the self-help principle, and is run democratically by its members, with officers and a national executive elected at the annual general meeting.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Francis Beckett, 020 8349 9194 or 07813 001372.
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