ABSTRACT
Rising public concern and expectation are inevitably reflected in the attitude and policy of central government which, also inevitably, sees the provision of a well educated and trained workforce as essential to improving the economy. It is no coincidence that the period of economic difficulty that set in with the oil crisis in the early 1970s has also seen an acceleration of the central government’s search for greater influence over the curriculum and a higher performance from teachers. Over the same period violence within society has become a national concern and there has been an increase in recorded crime, including juvenile crime. Schools have been under attack from some quarters for being responsible for lowering national standards of public behaviour. They have also shared with other representatives of authority, such as the police, the experience of having their authority questioned by some sections of the public. All these pressures have affected morale. Schools have become less certain of their objectives and teachers of their role. The examination in detail of one sector of the education system has enabled us to reflect upon a number of the major issues affecting education today.
