I'm sure there are probably a number of folks out there who think that the classics are a waste of time, goofy stuff like medieval history classes are silly, and the whole idea of education for the sake of education (vs. for some objective, practical purpose) is dubious.

It's a bit ... well, alarming to discover that the British secretary of state for education is one of them.

Charles Clarke, the education secretary, has continued his assault on the great subjects of academe by revealing that he regards medieval history as "ornamental" and a waste of public money.
Not long after expressing the view that he didn't think much of classics and regarded the idea of education for its own sake as "a bit dodgy", Mr Clarke, who read maths and economics at King's College, Cambridge, went one further.
"I don't mind there being some medievalists around for ornamental purposes, but there is no reason for the state to pay for them," he said on a visit to University College, Worcester. He only wanted the state to pay for subjects of "clear usefulness", according to today's Times Higher Educational Supplement.

As a recipient of a History degree (thesis focusing on Reformation Europe) and a liberal arts education -- granted, from a private institution -- I'm more than a bit appalled.

A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said: "The secretary of state was basically getting at the fact that universities exist to enable the British economy and society to deal with the challenges posed by the increasingly rapid process of global change."

Oh, is that what they're for? Well, I'm glad we've got that cleared up.

(via GoaF)

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