The Diploma Disease: Education, Qualification And Development

A book I read two years ago as part of my MA in International Education and Development which even though it is old; it was 1st Published in 1976, and then updated in 1997, I feel reflects some of the problems within the UK and US educational systems today. 

The Diploma Disease: Education, Qualification And Development by Ronald Dore

Schools used to be for educating people, for developing minds and characters. Today, as jobs depend more and more on certificates, degrees and diplomas, schooling has become more and more a ritualized process of qualification-earning. Professor Dore traces the underlying causes of this change through the educational histories of Britain, Japan, Sri Lanka and Kenya, showing how the late development effect makes what is a worrying problem for the rich countries in the North a disaster for the poorer countries of the South.