ABSTRACT
The educational past might appear to be rather intellectual or academic, as opposed to being engaged in the battlefields of history where real blood is spilled. It might seem sedate when compared with the revolutionary struggles of the past. It could come across as being less inspiring than the great struggles for liberation, social justice and democracy. And yet the history of education is all about struggle. Education has been at the heart of all of the key struggles of modern times in different parts of the world. It has been a rallying call for social progress, change and equality, and has been fundamental to social class struggles, struggles for democracy, and the fight for social justice. Education has also been uppermost in personal success and failure, in triumph and defeat, and such struggles too have their history. We may pause to recall our own struggles with schools, teachers and examinations, or with learning in general at school, at university, or in everyday life, and then we can recognize that education is indeed a struggle, and always has been.
