Fame culture 'harms pupils'

Teenagers' dreams of becoming pop stars or sporting champions are hampering attempts to get them to appreciate the value of a good education, an education minister said yesterday.

Teenagers' dreams of becoming pop stars or sporting champions are hampering attempts to get them to appreciate the value of a good education, an education minister said yesterday.

Ivan Lewis, the minister for skills and vocational education, said efforts to convince pupils to get qualifications were being complicated by the growing belief among young people that they could become rich and famous without any educational qualifications.

Mr Lewis told The Independent that educationalists should accept that not all children understood that academic and vocational qualifications could help them improve their standard of living. "One of the modern complications is that young people look at people who have succeeded, whether they be Pop Idol winners or David Beckham, and learn that there's an element of chance to becoming a celebrity," he said. "It doesn't teach them that there is a route to a better standard of living through their educational achievements."