--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most high governmental officials who…" description: "\"Most high governmental officials who speak of education policy seem to conceive of education in this light - as a way to ensure economic competitivenes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/derek-bok-13117_approach_most-high-governmental-officials-who-spe_2237310.png" --- # Most high governmental officials who speak of education… ![“Most high governmental officials who speak of education policy seem to conceive of education in this light - as a way to ensure economic competitiveness and continued economic growth. I strongly disagree with this approach.” quote by Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/derek-bok-13117_approach_most-high-governmental-officials-who-spe_2237310.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/derek-bok-13117_approach_most-high-governmental-officials-who-spe_2237310.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/derek-bok-13117_approach_most-high-governmental-officials-who-spe_2237310.png) > “Most high governmental officials who speak of education policy seem to conceive of education in this light - as a way to ensure economic competitiveness and continued economic growth. I strongly disagree with this approach.” [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Viewing education solely as a tool for economic growth reduces its broader societal and personal value. **In simple terms:** Education is more than economics. Key Takeaway Advocate holistic education. Themes education economics policy Mood critical thoughtful Type policy philosophical When to use this quote - curriculum design - public policy - teacher training Key Concepts sociology ethics Questions to Reflect On - What non‑economic goals should education serve? - How can policies balance growth with personal development? A Different Perspective Economic focus can marginalize arts and civic learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Competitiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitiveness/) [Economic growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-growth/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) ## Related quotes > [Freedom of expression is no longer a political nicety, but a precondition for economic competitiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/freedom-of-expression-is-no-longer-a-political-nicety-but-a/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Our economic competitiveness turns on a thriving, inclusive culture grounded in racial and economic justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-wu/our-economic-competitiveness-turns-on-a-thriving-inclusive-culture/) [Michelle Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-wu/) > [The Chinese government clearly sees Internet and mobile innovation as a major driver of its global economic competitiveness going forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-chinese-government-clearly-sees-internet-and-mobile-innovation-as/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [ “\[A\] central theme is why social, political, and economic institutions tend to coevolve in a manner that reinforces rather than undermines one another. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torben-iversen/a-central-theme-is-why-social-political-and-economic-institutions/) Torben Iversen > [Attempts to restrict encryption at the state or local levels would only serve to undermine security and economic competitiveness for the entire nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/attempts-to-restrict-encryption-at-the-state-or-local-levels-would/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [ Would \[Betsy DeVos\] be my first pick? No. Is she someone who has dedicated her life to education policy? Yes, actually, she has. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/would-betsy-devos-be-my-first-pick-no-is-she-someone-who-has/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Current education policy is not in the interests of women. An injustice is being perpetrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tooley/current-education-policy-is-not-in-the-interests-of-women-an/) James Tooley > [ Somewhere in, I think, the back of the mind of some \[education\] policy makers is this idea that if we fine-tune it well enough,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/somewhere-in-i-think-the-back-of-the-mind-of-some-education-policy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know from my days working on education reform in government that it's almost impossible to exaggerate how little those who work on education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/i-know-from-my-days-working-on-education-reform-in-government-that-it/) [Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/) > [The reason the Betsy DeVos case was the centerpiece case for the Democrats wasn't about her weakness as a knowledgeable person on education policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/the-reason-the-betsy-devos-case-was-the-centerpiece-case-for-the/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [We are not in Afghanistan for the sake of the education policy in a broken 13th-century country. We are there so the people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-fox/we-are-not-in-afghanistan-for-the-sake-of-the-education-policy-in-a/) [Liam Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-fox/) > [ I have seen \[Betsy DeVos\] present a few times. I don't really know her. But I have seen her present on education policy, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-have-seen-betsy-devos-present-a-few-times-i-don-t-really-know-her/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Betsy DeVos is not the most informed person on education policy, but I have seen her present a few times, and she presents as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/betsy-devos-is-not-the-most-informed-person-on-education-policy-but-i/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [If my mind can conceive it ,and my heart can believe it,i known I can achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/if-my-mind-can-conceive-it-and-my-heart-can-believe-it-i-known-i-can/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## More by Derek Bok > [Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/doctoral-training-is-devoted-almost-entirely-to-learning-to-do/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [I think it's sort of an outrage that companies should have to hire firms to teach the college graduates they employ how to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-it-s-sort-of-an-outrage-that-companies-should-have-to-hire/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically relative to an elite system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-education-the-cost-of-maintaining/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [“surveys show that over 90 percent of professors believe that their teaching is above average,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/surveys-show-that-over-90-percent-of-professors-believe-that-their/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [For some students, especially in the sciences, the knowledge gained in college may be directly relevant to graduate study. For almost all students, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/for-some-students-especially-in-the-sciences-the-knowledge-gained-in/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [There is far too much law for those who can afford it and far too little for those who cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/there-is-far-too-much-law-for-those-who-can-afford-it-and-far-too/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [An educated man must have a "curiosity in exploring the unfamiliar and unexpected, an open-mindedness in entertaining opposing points of view, tolerance for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/an-educated-man-must-have-a-curiosity-in-exploring-the-unfamiliar-and/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [Once you start worrying about a national football championship, then you begin to worry about getting the quality of athlete, and the numbers needed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/once-you-start-worrying-about-a-national-football-championship-then/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [I think any self-respecting educational institution ought to judge its policies by its best estimate of what their long-term consequences for their students and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-any-self-respecting-educational-institution-ought-to-judge/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [I think the minority students that we admit to Harvard are every bit as meritorious as the white students that we admit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-the-minority-students-that-we-admit-to-harvard-are-every-bit/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [There's a great deal of difference between thinking reflectively about moral issues and achieving higher standards of ethical behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/there-s-a-great-deal-of-difference-between-thinking-reflectively/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [Critics of American colleges typically attribute the failings of undergraduate education to a tendency on the part of professors to neglect their teaching to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/critics-of-american-colleges-typically-attribute-the-failings-of/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [Early admission programs tend to advantage the advantaged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/early-admission-programs-tend-to-advantage-the-advantaged/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [Universities are institutions run by amateurs to train professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/universities-are-institutions-run-by-amateurs-to-train-professionals/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [The oldest of the arts and the youngest of the professions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/the-oldest-of-the-arts-and-the-youngest-of-the-professions/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) [Explore all 51 Derek Bok quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) [Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most high governmental officials who speak of education policy seem to conceive of education in this light - as a way to ensure economic competitiveness and continued economic growth. 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