Ideological Discourses of the White “Bible” on Education and Training

by Sissy Velissariou

“The White Paper on Education and Training: Teaching and Learning/Towards the Learning Society” (pub. by the European Commission in 1995) is a text of seminal importance because it seeks to outline an overall approach to education in the E.U. I’ll start with a crucial passage which serves as its fundamental working principle: “IV. Directions for the future: Everyone is convinced of the need for change, the proof being the demise of the major ideological disputes on the objectives of education. . . . The end of debate on educational principles: Heated debates concerning the organization of education and training systems—including debates on content and training methods --- have taken place over the last few years. Most of these debates now appear to have come to an end.’ (W.P.23).