© Demotix/Peter MarshallA 12 foot effigy of the BAE chairman at the 'people's jury' protest outside the BAE AGM.
Europe's largest arms manufacturer, BAE Systems, has applied to sponsor the failing Furness Academy. The reason is profit.Corporations have already established a growing foothold in many UK schools, but
the idea of Europe's biggest arms company running a school still seems like something out of an Orwellian nightmare.However, it may be about to happen in Barrow, Cumbria, where BAE Systems is on the verge of
taking over Furness Academy. The proposal is currently going through due diligence before being opened to a consultation with stakeholders, parents and staff, where it is expected to be supported. If it is agreed, BAE will become the school's sole sponsor later this year. They will also take responsibility for the 'strategic direction' of the school.
Education isn't just about grades, it's also about promoting values, informing perspectives and expanding minds. Could a weapons manufacturer ever act in the best interests of school children?
How can a company that profits from international hostility ever be trusted to teach about areas like conflict resolution or the human cost of war?BAE has a shameful, inglorious history of corruption and deals with dictators. It has been the subject of investigations across a number of countries and was fined
$400 million in the US for bribery. It has also sold weapons to human rights abusers and dubious regimes across the world, including
Saudi Arabia,
Libya,
Bahrain and
Egypt.
Despite all of the ramifications for education, the move has been welcomed by local MP John Woodcock, who greeted it as a "
really exciting" development. Furness Academy's acting head called it "
a fantastic opportunity."
Comment: It's not surprising that someone who would abuse an animal would do the same to a child and excuse it as "a necessary educational measure". Pathological "thinking" knows no bounds.
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