Richard Pring (1938-2024): A realistic and profound philosophy of education.

Abstract

Richard Pring was born in Sheffield on 20 April 1938 and passed away peacefully on 6 October 2024 at his home in Oxford, surrounded by his loving family. A fellow of Green Templeton College, he was head of the Department of Education at the University of Oxford for fourteen years until his retirement in May 2003; editor of the British Journal of Educational Studies (1986-2001); doctor honoris causa from the University of Kent (1984) and from the Institute of Education at University College London (2015); and recipient of the award of distinction from the Aga Khan University, Karachi (2008). Over his long academic career, he wrote some twenty books and numerous articles; he wrote reports and gave talks and lectures to very varied social sectors in many locations; he taught; he supervised 40 doctoral theses and other research work, and he advised countless groups of students and academics from all over the world.After his retirement, he completed three important research projects: the “Nuffield review of 14-19 education and training” over six years, funded by the Nuffield Foundation; the “Evaluation of the Oxford bursary scheme”, funded by Atlantic Philanthropies; and the “Evaluation of quality assurance in 11 Arab universities”, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).