The Purpose of Education feat. Akala and Nancy Rothwell
Channel: Challenging Orthodoxies Society
Date: 2014-06-01

The recent fees hike in 2010 prompted many young people to question whether it was 'worth' them doing a degree. But what is the value of a degree in contemporary Britain? What should it be? 

The manifold responses to this question each demand important social, political and economic choices and actions, and have significant consequences for the social fabric of communities, nations and the wider world.

Our Panellists:
- Akala, UK hip hop artist and social entrepreneur
- Nancy Rothwell, Vice Chancellor of UoM
- Paul Cottrell, UCU Head of Democratic Services
- Steven Jones, Manchester Institute of Education

The discussion will focus on the role of University Education within the broader context of education, and will look to address some of the following questions:
- Should a university education be equipping students for the job market and to what extent should universities be linked to industry and the economy? 
- How should Universities shape or direct the ways in which knowledge is produced? What forms of knowledge production should we consider valuable?
- What value does education have in and of itself? In what ways does learning enhance the every day lives of students?
- How should a University connect to civil society and the local community?