Institute of Education welcomes government citizenship education report
09 March 2007
The Institute of Education (IOE) welcomes the Education and Skills Select Committee report on citizenship education published today (Thursday 8 March). The report's recommendations endorse the work on citizenship education undertaken at the IOE.
Professor Geoff Whitty, director of the Institute, who acted as a specialist adviser to the committee, commented: "The committee has highlighted the key issues that need to be addressed by government and others if citizenship education is to achieve the status and impact hoped for by its proponents".
Also commenting on the report, Dr Hugh Starkey, programme leader for the IOE's master's degree in citizenship education, said: "The committee calls for more trained teachers of citizenship able to address controversial topics and issues of human rights, equalities and diversity with their students. These are central to all our courses on citizenship education and our research agenda."
Dr Starkey said the Institute had shown its commitment to developing the workforce by providing initial teacher education for citizenship specialists and developing continuing professional development and master's level qualifications. "We welcome the committee's support for an endorsement of the importance of these initiatives," he said.
"I imagine the Institute's research on school councils was also highly influential in persuading the committee to endorse a proposal to make school councils compulsory," Dr Starkey added.
Notes for editors
Further information from Helen Green, press officer, +44 (0)20 7612 6459, h.green@ioe.ac.uk
Citizenship education is a growing area of interest at the IOE and the recent creation of two new centres – the Centre for Equalities and Human Rights in Education and the International Centre for Education for Democratic Citizenship, a joint initiative with Birkbeck College – reflects this interest.
The Institute of Education is a college of the University of London, specialising in teaching, research and consultancy in education and related areas of social science and professional practice.