The meaning of "instrumental" here

Question

It's a very instrumental view of education and how it relates to their needs.

According to the dictionary it's "relating to something's function as a means to an end." But I don't get what this word implies in the sentence above.

jsw29 · Accepted Answer

Instrumental is a transferred epithet here: strictly speaking the view is not itself instrumental, but it treats education as something instrumental. Once that is realised, a dictionary definition can be plugged in without any difficulty: the view treats education as a means to some end. The implied contrast is with treating education as something that is valuable in itself, regardless of its consequences.

The meaning of "instrumental" here

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