“It was a bland, tranquilized, life-adjusted, group-integrated sort of face–the face turned out in thousands of copies every year by the educational production lines on Terra.”- H. Bean Piper, Little Fuzzy
There is no crueller tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of a structured school system in the name of education. As a matter of fact, it is not without rythme or reason that we conventionally refer to it as ‘the educational system’ or ‘the school system’. A system, per se, is a way of working, organizing or doing something which follows a fixed methodology or set of rules. Yet, when it comes to education, there are no standardised, soulless products which have to comply with directives in an obdurate manner involved; but humans-alive, curious and inventive presenting different needs, different capacities, different dreams and from different milieus. Thus, for the benefit of our children, am I falsely to say that for a start in 2019, I would prefer us to adopt a rather modern, humanising approach by contextually using the terms ‘educational spirit’ or ‘spirit of the school’ as a substitute for ‘the educational system or the ‘school system’?
How it all began: Let us find out.
The idea of passing accumulated knowledge, skills, values and traditions to the next generation in one way or the other has been around from time immemorial. Why? For basic survival purposes-in other words, to ensure the continued existence of the human species on Earth. However, credit for the conventional system of education goes to Horace Mann. Imported from Prussia more than 200 years ago, Horace first established a publicly-funded system of school in Massachusetts where in every classroom, groups of about 28 students of roughly the same age are taught by one teacher. This model has been the prevailing archetype ever since. It is a factory model classroom: top-down, command-control management specifically designed to cater to the demands of the Industrial Age. What is the goal of the industrial education, one might ask? To fill the young ones with knowledge and imbue in them a lifelong desire for learning? Nothing could be further from the truth. The object is to narrow as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a thoroughly docile, compliant and subservient citizenry, to stamp out originality and liberation of the mind. That was its aim in the US and everywhere else and to this day, absolutely nothing has changed. Incredible!
Why should we break free of the factory model education system?
If one understands that change is the only constant in life, then one will more easily recognize the desperately needed change in our cookie-cutter school system. We are currently living in a rapidly evolving Information Age in a knowledge-based economy driven by virtual technology, high speed internet, the development of artificial intelligence and other futuristic technologies. This will, in turn, pave the way for a new kind of global culture called the Imagination Age. The habits youngsters pick up at school to become a ‘good enough’ cog to jam into a non-existent industrial machine no longer creates economic value. Horace’s system is backfiring because in this digital era, employers demand novelty, creativity, enthusiasm, independent thinking, attention and adaptability while employees supply punctuality, basic literacy, discipline and conformity. The present educational system is producing accountants, doctors and engineers en masse. If children had more freedom to choose, the world would have been marvelling at the chefs-d’oeuvre of more authors, more painters, more sculptors, more entrepreneurs. The existing setting conditions adolescents to work for a living than for a purpose. Our school system has strategically contrived a stiff environment through time frames, cumbersome curricula and unhealthy expectations notwithstanding that children flourish where they are nurtured with love, patience and hope. Truly, it is in hot waters!
So, how do we get out of this mess?
- Changing the vision
One of the fundamental flaws of the public school system self-evidently lies in its vision to create a passive adult for a world of repetitive work under rigid conditions. The ultimate goal of education has to be remolded to reflect the realities of the present time. The aim should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think-rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with the thoughts of other men. Aiglon College, one of the most expensive private boarding schools in the world with an annual fee of up to £80, 810 has a well-defined mission statement which strives for the holistic development of a child. While the privileged few have the luxury to afford a twenty-first century, ultra-modern education for their offspring, most of us rely on state schools to form our kids- where comes the need for a complete makeover of the system.
- Modifying the curriculum
At the core of it, the curriculum has to be modified. Much of what is taught in our current education system is either not relevant to students’ lives or can be googled at the swipe of a finger. Programs to expand soft skills including persistence, flexibility in thinking, empathy, metacognition, imagination, self-management and communication with clarity have to be devised. Lessons in Mathematics, languages and sciences have to obligatorily cover practical applications instead of only focusing on the theories. Students have to be taught how to realistically cope with issues related to stress, sex, losing a job, drugs and junk food. Schools have to lay more emphasis on music, sports, leisure, spirituality and poetry. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma which is offered in most private schools requires students to put in 150 hours of CAS: creativity, action and service, thereby preparing them to better understand how the world works. The IB program has to be extended on a pilot basis to more schools in countries all over the world. Change will not happen at a stroke, but it has to be steady-and most of all, it has to start somewhere.
- Having a solid geopolitical climate
What is becoming increasingly apparent is the exigency for a wholesale injection of fresh blood in the global political environment that is all too often bogged down in a quagmire of corruption and selfishness. To bring about a radical transformation in the education system, we need real visionaries who must be ready to swim against the tide of popular opinion, who must methodically plan and administer reforms on a large scale. We need dynamic leaders: activists, educators, lawmakers, behavioural scientists and even parents to take up the baton to ensure the execution of newer policies. With the coordinated effort and collaborative support of all the major stakeholders who regard education as an investment in human capital, our dream of a school where children will not merely survive but will thrive can materialize.
What makes Finland so phenomenal?
Always among the premier finisher on rankings of the world’s best education system, Finland was eulogized as a ‘miracle of education’ by the World Bank in 2017. Here’s a closer look at the underlying reasons why it is Finland that goes home with the gold medal.
1. No standardised testing
Finland recognizes that young people are not pressure cookers. Finnish students take just one test during their entire time in primary and secondary school. Called the National Matriculation Test, it measures the general academic maturity of a person compared to standardised tests where scores and ranks come to naught to capture the overall development of a student.
2. It is free.
Finland remains one of the very few countries to offer free education at all levels. The government provides funds for a number of social benefits like meals, housing, school healthcare, free transport and others.
3. Respect for teachers and students alike
The teaching staff in Finnish schools is highly educated. They are treated better, work few hours and are decently remunerated in contrast to other countries. The system is also based on a culture of trust, not control which allows for effective two-way communication between teachers and students.
4. Value for both academic and vocational education
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”- Albert Einstein
Finland acknowledges that not all children are necessarily fish. Some children are cheetahs-they are good at running, some are eagles with an incredible eyesight, some are dolphins-they’re creative while some are chimps-they are pretty S.M.A.R.T-smart. The country just works on students’ individual innate skills and talents by polishing them either through academic studies or vocational training, whichever is best for them.
5. Less homework
This equation is quite simple.
Less homework = More playtime = More self-exploration + Greater sense of well-being = Increased attention in class = More retention capacity = Better results
Wow! Finland has it all figured out!
Etymologically, the term ‘education’ has been derived from the Latin words: educare and educere. ‘Educare’ means to bring up, to nourish. The child has to be nourished like a plant in the garden by a teacher. ‘Educere’ means to draw forth or to bring from. The ability of a child has to be identified and given scope for development. Our education system has historically been doing the complete opposite of what it ought to be doing. Even worse, challenging the worldwide existing school system is like opening a Pandora’s box of deeply flawed policies, regressive techniques of learning, amoral politics and a chronic misallocation of intellectual resources. It is rightly said that it is easier to land a man on the moon than to change the school system. To put it mildly, ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ is what they all seem to agree upon. This explains why highly literate and liberal parents now view homeschooling as the best option for their progeny. In short, I wish for a world where school is the place children look forward to going, when the very mention of ‘school’ lights up their face and makes them beam with excitement. Is this just a pie in the sky fantasy or a thingness of a promising tomorrow? I wonder.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM?
HOW, ACCORDING TO YOU, CAN IT BE IMPROVED?
WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE?
PLEASE COMMENT BELOW!
