Page 29 - TheWord#16

www.thewordmedia.org.uk POLITICS AND EVENTS February 2017. 29

Thoughts on
examining an
education
masters
dissertation

By Cliff Jones

he academic exploration
of learning by educators
is not always confined
Tto what happens in the
classroom. Contexts vary and may
require us to make critical sense
of a range of political issues. Why
would we not? If, for example, two
cousins are at schools on different
sides of a wall erected in order to
separate them we cannot write
about their education and ignore
the wall. Why is it there? Who put working in four languages. Births,
it there? Why is it maintained? Nor deaths and marriages come with
can we ignore the impact upon lots of paper. So do taxes and deeds
the cousins, their classmates, their of property.
teachers and the split societies in ature is evidence of both family and
The quantity of this kind of liter-
Blair told us his priority was Ed-PALESTINIAN record you also classify. What are
which they live and grow.
Considering a physical wall re-A DIVIDED official urges to record. When you
minds us of other walls. The wall
the headings? How is it decided who
separating those, for example,
attending Eton from those going
or what comes under what heading?
Israelis born there before 1948 have
to Bash Street Secondary Modern
stated on their birth certificates that
is no less tall, wide and impene-
trable for being intangible. Tony
The Ottoman and the Roman
Empires depended upon bureau-
ucation, Education, Education. they were born in Palestine.
His priority ought to have been government action. cracy when they controlled the
Society, Society, Society. Can any- VILLAGE Israeli school textbooks are Middle East. Who, for example,
one imagine Blair as Peace Envoy officially approved and, as Nurit had the rights to sell horses in a
talking about this schoolteacher’s Peled-Elhanen showed in her ‘Pal- given region? It was recorded and
deep research prompted by per- estine in Israeli School Books, Ide- so was everything to do with trade,
sonal experience of a deliberately ology and Propaganda in Educa- property and people. Despite ef-
divided society? tion’, the official national narrative forts to portray the Palestine past
has been constructed to justify as empty of settled people, a land
Experienced realities inhuman policies. ‘They’ not only criss-crossed by a few nomadic
There are times when the re- hate ‘us’ but ‘they’ stand in the way tribes, this was not the case, as the
ality experienced by students and of ‘our’ fulfillment. dissertation demonstrated.
teachers tests academic conceptu- Internalising such views makes Is education a commodity to be
al frameworks. I taught the student it easier to pull triggers. Children weighed and measured? Is it about
whose work I examined but did not are born into different realities: accumulating scores and qualifica-
supervise the dissertation. I was some have bullets to fire and some tions? Might it confront and explain
the second marker (why do we still have bullets to dodge, if they can. the causes and consequences of cho-
refer to assessing as ‘marking’?). sen inhumanity? Once grandmoth-
The supervisor left the USA many Literature ers could hold newly born grandchil-
years ago to live in Israel and had This dissertation went into un- dren. Now some are only allowed to
worked hard encouraging collabo- charted territory. There were mass- approach a wall on special occasions
ration across cultural boundaries. es of words generated by bureau- to touch a finger through a crack.
Today that noble intent and effort cracies, in this case involving two Would you tell a student that
has been negated by intentional countries and four administrations this is irrelevant to education?

A man of the People – perhaps too good to be a politician?

A tribute to the late Deyika would have had to do at least his rarely won because he was the work in the community in Hulme,
Nzeribe – Green candidate for share of listening. only one who refused to cheat! Manchester. But he was involved
Mayor of Greater Manchester and As for the other qualities I have Added to that he was very thor- in diverse causes inspiring crea-
fine human being. the tributes paid at his funeral ough in scrutinising the finances tivity,fighting austerity, racism,
Why should I ask The Word to service on Friday, 9th. February, of the organisation. promoting equality and defend-
publish anything about a would-be at Brunswick Parish Church, Ard- Almost everyone mentioned ing the environment.
politician, little known to people wick, Manchester. It was attended his smile and sense of humour When I met him I told him
outside of Manchester? Simple, be- by over 400 people and over 20 and many commented how he how rare it was for me to meet
cause he was the antithesis of many friends, colleagues and family gave avoided the limelight at events, someone from an African or Car-
politicians we know. He listened to moving tributes to Deyike who even those he had helped to set ibbean background being in-
people, he had a sense of humour, died aged 50 on New Years Eve. up. One of these was Natalie Ben- volved in politics. He was the type
did not seek publicity for himself, Some memories were poign- nett (former Green Party National of person we need in politics. My
did not cheat, and he cared! ant but tinged with humour. One Chair) he had organised an event plea is that Deyika’s legacy should
Can I substantiate this? Well friend and colleague at Common- for her in Manchester when she be that many more from similar
as I only met him once I can only word (www.cultureword.org.uk ), became chair, but stayed in the backgrounds get actively involved
verify the first two. We met at an an writing project to help emerg- background. She said of him, “he in politics for the RIGHT reasons.
African wakekeeping and we nev- ing BAME writers testified to his was a gentle, passionate and car- before himself. He was interested bright-green.org/2017/01/02/
er stopped talking for over half a honesty. With other friends he ing man........ He dedicated his life in people and he genuinely cared.” mayoral-candidate-deyika-nzeri-
hour, and if anyone knows me he played poker with Deyika, who to others and always put others Deyika was known for his be-passes-away/