W. John Morgan

Martin Buber's philosophy of education and its implications for adult non-formal education

The Jewish philosopher and educator Martin Buber (1878–1965) is considered one of the twentieth century’s greatest contributors to the philosophy of religion and is also recognized as the pre‐eminent scholar of Hasidism. He has also attracted considerable attention as a philosopher of education. However, most commentaries on this aspect of his work have focussed on the implications of his philosophy for formal education and for the education of the child. Given that much of Buber’s philosophy is based on dialogue, on community and on mutuality, it is puzzling that relatively little has been written on the implications of Buber’s thought for the theory and practice of non‐formal adult education. The article provides a discussion of the philosophy underpinning this aspect of Martin Buber’s life and work, and its implications for adult non‐formal education.

Managing the International Recruitment of Health Workers and Teachers: Do the Commonwealth Agreements Provide an Answer?

The international recruitment by countries of the developed world of health workers and teachers from developing countries has become a controversial aspect of the problem of ‘brain drain’. This article, based on research commissioned by the UKs Department for International Development, examines the impact of such international migration, focusing on the recruitment of health workers and teachers within the Commonwealth. It further examines the part played by the Commonwealth as an international organization of sovereign states to manage such recruitment through agreed protocols. It is concluded that the Commonwealth Agreements have made a significant contribution to consensus management of the phenomenon, but that it remains a complex and politically fraught issue. More research is recommended to acquire hard data for the guidance of policy.

Private higher education in China: access to quality higher education and the acquisition of labour market qualifications by low-income students 1

The development of private higher education in China is an important area of policy concern and for academic research, especially under the conditions of globalization. This article reviews the current situation and forecasts the likely trend in several key areas, such as governmental regulation, funds and competition for enrolments. The article focuses specifically on how this process affects access to high-quality private higher education and the acquisition of labour market qualifications by low-income students. It warns against social stratification, aggravated by regional diversity, and suggests that the Chinese government and other stakeholders work together to use globalization to build a more socially equitable private higher education system in China. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and inter-governmental organizations (IGOs) in particular should play a more important role in developing Chinese private higher education. Further research should pay attention to the experience of students fro...

The impact of international teacher migration on schooling in developing countries—the case of Southern Africa

Whilst the migration of teachers has been a phenomenon for hundreds of years, the advent of ‘globalisation’ has seen such migration return to prominence. This article focuses on the experiences of two developing countries in Southern Africa which have been on different ends of the process: South Africa as a net sender of teachers and Botswana as a net receiver of teachers. In comparing these two country experiences it is possible to highlight the complexity and impact of teacher mobility in developing countries. The authors argue that, in both cases, there are signs that international teacher mobility may have been a temporary issue as local markets in both countries have adjusted to meet the new demand. A possible conclusion is that the significance of international teacher mobility for developing country education systems lies less in its quantitative effects in terms of numbers of trained teachers and more in its qualitative effects in terms of the kind of teachers that move.

Student motivations, quality and status in adult higher education (AHE) in China

This article examines an important and yet neglected aspect of the relationship between higher education and the labour market in contemporary China. It does this through a detailed case study of student motivations, quality and status in adult higher education (AHE) in the city of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. This is a region which has seen major economic and social changes as China makes the transition from a centrally planned to a market‐oriented economy. The case study is placed in that context. Using the theoretical perspective of human capital theory, the article examines the role of education in labour markets. It then considers the relevance of lifelong learning to the research and provides an account of the methodological approach used in the study. The findings of the research are then presented according to the key research questions. These are that the utilitarianism which exists in AHE provision and demand in China has had an impact upon the quality of provision and learning in this sector. This will definitely not help to develop a lifelong‐learning‐based society and promote citizens’ all‐round development as suggested by government regulations on lifelong learning.

Marxism and moral education

It is obviously necessary to begin with Karl Marx. According to Vorländer, ‘The moment anyone started to talk to Marx about morality, he would roar with laughter’ (Vorländer, 1904, p. 22; Lukes, 1985, p. 26). Yet the normative element is central to Marx’s thinking and the resolution of the paradox is to be found, according to Lukes, in the distinction between a bourgeois morality of law and a revolutionary morality of class emancipation. Marx is interested fundamentally in the moral education of the proletariat through the liberating process that accompanies revolution. It has been argued that in order to explain the motives of the socialist revolutionary, Marx needs such a theory of moral education that is, at the same time, his normative objective. In particular, it is said, ‘he needs an account of how vast numbers of working people acquire a commitment to make a revolution in their common interest’ (Miller, 1998, p. 377). Moreover, this must be powerful enough to break the economic, social and ideological grip of the capitalist system that he has analysed and exposed in such detail. The mode of production is the economic key, as it was for the emergence of capitalism. However, the development of capitalism itself creates a fresh social and psychological context, providing the proletariat with the opportunity to recognize their common circumstance as an incentive to further self-transforming struggles. In The Communist manifesto, Marx argues that historically every form of society has been based, as we have already seen, on the antagonism of oppressing and oppressed classes. However, ‘The proletarian movement is the self-conscious movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority’(Marx & Engels, 1967, p. 92), which he argues will end class oppression. This will be accompanied by a change in humanity’s consciousness, which changes with every change in the conditions of material existence, in social relations and in social life. This will have fundamental implications for intellectual life and consequently for education, for, as Marx puts it, ‘The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class’ (Marx & Engels, 1967, p. 102). This, according to Miller, is the process that deserves the label ‘moral education’, as ‘it sheds new light on the possible relations between morality, rationality and

Job Search Channels and Educational Level in China: Testing the Screening Hypothesis

Using data from a nation-wide survey of graduates undertaken in 2003, this article tests the screening hypothesis for the graduate job market by investigating the relationship among job search channels, educational level and the results of job searches. It is found that those at a lower educational level are more likely to choose informal channels. This is supportive of the screening hypothesis, since those with higher levels of education have a stronger signal and fewer motivations to use informal channels. Meanwhile, the effect of educational background on the probabilities of obtaining a job does not change with different search channels. This empirical result seems to reject the screening hypothesis. However, based on a discussion of the methods, we reach conclusions supportive of the screening hypothesis.

The rate of return to educational investment in China: a comparative commentary

This article comments on several features of the rate of return (ROR) to educational investment in China: first, the ROR to educational investment has increased with the expansion of educational provision since the 1980s. Second, the greater the educational provision, the greater the ROR. Third, the ROR in urban areas is more than that in rural areas. Fourth, the ROR in the public sector is greater than that in the private sector. Meanwhile, from an international comparative perspective, it is commented that possi- ble explanations of the above are a history of elite education and of a screening culture; the rapid transition from a planned economy to a market economy; and the segmentation of the labour market in China. International interest in the rate of return (ROR) to educational investment began in the 1950s, with most studies, notably the pioneering work of Gary Becker (1993), support- ing the human capital theory that education enhanced the individuals capacity for labour productivity. Such studies provided the theoretical economic basis for an expansion of educational provision which began in earnest in the 1960s and which aimed at stimulat- ing and sustaining national economic growth in both developed and developing countries. Consequently, studies of the ROR to investment in education have been used both by states, public and private organizations and groups within states and by individuals as a basic tool to analyse the effectiveness of investment in education. The academic value and the pragmatic use of the ROR to education as such a tool are explained in five ways. First, it can be used to measure the performance of the investment in education. This may be done through a comparison of the ROR on educational investment and the ROR on other forms of capital investment; this can indicate whether the educational investment has paid off (Psacharopoulos and Patrinos 2004). This may guide decisions on educational investment by states, organizations and individuals. Second, and following from this, states and other agencies use studies of the ROR to education, together with complementary research, to develop macro policy decisions both within the specific public policy sector of education and generally (Psacharopoulos and Patrinos 2004). For example, information on the ROR to different levels of education can guide the governments fiscal allocation

Integrating employment and skills policy: lessons from the United Kingdom's New Deal for Young People

Drawing upon interviews with key stakeholders including policy makers and providers of the flagship welfare reform programme – the New Deal for Young People, this article contributes to analysis and debate through an exploration of skills investment policy and practice in this key UK ‘welfare to work’ programme. It concludes that the vision of a recent report to provide opportunities for welfare recipients to acquire skills in order to adapt to change, find new work and opportunities, and progress in work could founder on the philosophy that the primary purpose of training programmes and active labour market intervention for welfare recipients is to ensure the pace and progress of participants into work and that any educational element or advancement in work is secondary.

Non-Formal Education and Civil Society in Post-Soviet Russia: What Is the Relationship?.

The article describes collaborative research into the relationship between non-formal education and civil society in post-Soviet Russia. It shows how through social survey data and case studies of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other civil society organisations (CSOs), using a combination of social science perspectives, much can be learned about the current condition and democratic potential of Russian civil society.