Record Detail

This article questions the western model of education as suitable for everyone.Having taught for many years, the purpose of education was always clear to me: childrenand adults needed literacy and education in order to operate in a modern society. Myresearch, carried out in England between 2004 and 2011 on Gypsies’ and Travellers’experiences of and attitudes toward literacy and education, revealed very low levels ofeducational attainment and a cultural disconnection from and distrust of mainstreameducation. Exploration of the situation in other minority communities in western coun-tries—the Roma and Sami in Europe, Native Americans and Alaskan Natives in the UnitedStates and Canada, and Aboriginals in Australia—showed depressing similarities,including blaming these communities for their failure in education. The Sami have arguedsuccessfully for a more culturally relevant education, but elsewhere there is very littlechange. The education that western governments provide appears to be primarily designedfor assimilation, not agency. Providing meaningful education to marginalized, travelling,and indigenous peoples will require a positive paradigmatic shift