Last week's topic at Clareville Centre's Socrates Café was "Should there be Compulsory Education for Over 50s?"
The Socrates Café in Clareville is a weekly discussion group for clients of the daycare centre that meets over breakfast and then discusses life questions. It is comparable to a debating society, except that its discussions are not confrontational. Notice that the topic was not presented as a motion, which would have invited a For and Against approach, but as a question, which invites participants to offer their thoughts.
The number one rule in the Café is that everybody's view is respected, no matter how outrageous. Of course, following the Socratic method, a member can be asked why they hold an opinion, but can't be pressed.
It seems that the elderly agreed with the general idea of education for people in their fifties to prepare them for a healhy retirement and old age: exercise regimes, activities, diet, mental preparement, further education, personality development. It was regretted that, while retirement courses were provided for those in paid employment, there were no retirement courses for home keepers. However, the word "Compulsory" met disapproval. Courses should just be made available and suitably promoted.
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