Press release: Questioning the involvement of the military in education: a series of public debates
On 18 September ForcesWatch (1) begins its national series of public events that will debate whether the armed forces should be involved in education activities in UK schools and colleges. Events will take place in Oxford (18 September), Bath (20 September), Edinburgh (11 October), Norwich (23 October) and London (25 October).
Speakers, including ex-Army officers, education professionals, local politicians and academics, will join ForcesWatch and teachers, parents and governors, to discuss the ethical concerns around the involvement of the armed forces in young people’s education and the rise of militarism in schools.
Whilst politicians and senior armed forces officers call for more armed forces-led activity in education, the panel will be responding to the question: ‘Does the military have a role to play in schools?’ The event aims to encourage a healthy debate exploring whether the agenda of the armed forces is compatible with that of the schools they visit.
The armed forces visit around 8,800 state and private schools each year engaging in the region of 900,000 students (2). During these visits they provide free resources, presentations, cadet forces and a variety of other activities. Recruitment of young people into the forces is identified as one of three outcomes, along with raising awareness about the armed forces and social development (3).… Read more