On the value of education
“Education is absolutely indispensable for everything we do,” he said. “In a fundamental sense, education is important because it is the basis of a just society. Education gives us the ability to choose, to distinguish between right and wrong. In the end, it’s a moral undertaking.
“In the tradition of all the great faiths, and in all civilisations worthy of the name, the moral underpinnings of each society require knowledge, and knowledge requires education. Education allows us to make choices, not just as a democracy, in elections, but all the time.
“From an economic point of view, education is an investment in the future, because an illiterate society will never grow wealthy.”
Having raised three children and educated them at nine schools, Sam and his wife value choice in education. “It’s not just one size fits all.”
Sam distinguishes between education and technical training, which, however sophisticated, he sees as vocational.
“Education is preparation for life. It is about morality, justice and liberty. Education is fundamental and profound. Modern society is unthinkable without education.”
On Indigenous education
The Pratt Foundation supports many innovative approaches
to improving educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians, including, at ACU National, the Indigenous Reflection Space at the Brisbane Campus and an Indigenous postgraduate bursary.
In 1965, as a young journalist reporting for The Bulletin on the Freedom Ride which exposed discrimination against Indigenous people in NSW country towns, Sam got to know the late Charles Perkins, who went on to become Australia’s first Indigenous head of a government department, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, in 1981.
“I have a very vivid recollection of Charlie being the first Aboriginal person to graduate from an Australian university, 110 years after our first universities were established. That’s a pretty appalling statistic.
“The good thing is that since then thousands of young Indigenous students have graduated from virtually every Australian university, taking their place in the wider society in the decision making and more elite circles, participating in political and public life as leaders and directors.
“It has been a great revolution, but there is a vast amount more that needs to happen in Indigenous education.”
On why governments should encourage donors
In a climate of shrinking government expenditure in the tertiary sector, Australia’s 38 universities are under increasing pressure
to raise their own funds.
Sam felt the Federal Government’s recently announced $5 billion Higher Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) was a step in the right direction, particularly if donors could earmark funds for their choice of university. However, other measures were needed. Some corporations would expect to see their own branding.
To encourage businesses to give more to universities, the government should investigate giving preferred supplier status to companies showing social responsibility, for example, as well as offering rebates, incentives and bonds.
“Tax rebates for the film industry at one stage were 130 per cent. The government must give incentives to encourage more corporations and individuals to support universities.” |
