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Government and education news

CLOSER CO-OPERATION with European and other nations on higher education can sometimes seem to be driven primarily by economic imperatives. Tony Blair's initiative to increase the UK's market share of overseas students to 25% by 2005, the marketing of UK education overseas, and the range of overseas franchises operated by many UK HEIs tends to contribute to this perception. However, higher education first and foremost has a public function which equips it as a vehicle for enhancing understanding between cultures, enabling access to learning for those from disadvantaged backgrounds and contributing to the (re)generation of education systems in nations that have been involved in military and political upheavals. The contributions to this edition of Government and Education News reflect this wider purpose and we begin with an overview from Mary Redshaw of the work of the British Council in the area of legal education in Europe. This is followed by a summary from Simon Ball of TechDis of recent European initiatives in the area of widening access, specifically for those with a disability, through the medium of ICT. This edition ends with a reminder that despite its unwieldy bureaucracy, the European Union and its law making institutions are nevertheless a forum for progressing core social and ethical values. This piece by Richard Owen and Pat Leighton suggests perhaps how we as law teachers may help students to a clearer understanding of the wider social, political and philosophical implications of EU law making.