Debating the Digital Curriculum: intersections of the public and the private in educational and cultural policy

Abstract

In January 2003, the British government approved the BBC's Digital Curriculum, a new £150 million initiative to provide educational software to schools and homes. The decision was widely criticised by representatives of the UK software publishing industry, and by defenders of public service broadcasting. This article traces the debates that led to the decision, and the broader issues that it raises. It suggests that the initiative can be seen as symptomatic of the interpenetration of public and private imperatives that is characteristic of New Labour policy-making; but it also suggests that, when educational and cultural policy come together, there may be unresolved tensions between them.