The seminar will juxtapose current debates about education in England with aspects of the education system in Vietnam.
Neil will present his views about education as both a private good as well as a public good. Perhaps inevitably, most of the discourse about education focuses on maximising the public good. The danger is twofold, government gets increasingly intrusive in its attempts to drive up standards and parents increasingly perceive education as a service provided to or for their children rather than it being their joint responsibility with the schools and teachers. Neil will consider the connection between the nationalisation of accountability in England and the growing retention and recruitment crisis.

Tony will present a preview of findings from forthcoming research by Education Development Trust into the education system in Vietnam which strongly suggests that high levels of parental engagement contribute to the effectiveness of the Vietnamese school system. Parental involvement in Vietnam is multi-faceted and includes parent-teacher partnership on the progress of individual students, parental volunteering in school, parental involvement in accountability systems and fund-raising.