Ann Laenen

While in Flanders reflections are going on on the Bamford report, the think thank Demos in the UK has launched a consultation paper Culture and Learning Towards a New Agenda and asks for the opinions on how to embed cultural learning in the educational sector. The final report, containing recommendations based on those responses will be published later in 2008.

The writers of this paper recognise that growth of the creative economy, the issues based on identity, the issue of diversity, the influence of cultural in international relation and the digital/technological evolution fundamentally changed the position of culture in society and in the lifelong educational needs of present and future generations.

The paper offers a good overview of cultural education in the UK at the moment and poses a lot of questions towards the future, because the situation is far from ideal currently. Although the policy document All our futures (1999) argues that a national strategy for creative education is essential and although the UK government’s current aspiration to provide five hours of cultural learning, this not yet leads to a complete strategy neither to schools as to longlife learning. If one wants to cope with the changing society a long-term strategy and more settled structures are needed building on successful experiences and leadership … and thus celebrate the value of cultural learning by both education and culture.

The consultation documents provides issues and solutions on specialism, ad-hocery & inconsistancy, on the status of cultural education, on capacity sustainability & finance, and profile. It concludes in saying that the cultural organsations themselves need to be reflective, constantly revisting and reaffirming their values. This links in with the findings of my own research, we need to be willing to ask the right questions in order to better intergrate cultural education/learning in the cultural organisation.

To be continued later this year…I’ll keep you posted