Transport more important to us than children?

There are now three times more cars than children in the UK says a report commissioned by Play England who say that the disappearance of places where children can play demands a “robust and urgent response”.

While the statistic in itself may be a bit misleading, since it does not reflect car ownership per family, the underlying trends are worrying. It is evidence that we are spending far more resources on transport than education and children – this can not be appropriate prioritisation in a world of computers and nanotechnology. Education is recognised as the holy grail of development yet both private and public education systems still use antiquated methods and curricula and fail to motivate teachers appropriately.  While those with the least resources should get the most help (that’s where the return on investment is greatest) they are often neglected (as the recent report on failing after school clubs in poor areas shows). And the trend to restricting children’s natural instinct to explore is Victorian (see Fear stops children’s development). We must change our priorities.