‘What is the purpose of education?’

Areas of Learning and Experience Blog post - Literacy

‘What is the purpose of education?’

‘Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world’ (Nelson Mandela). The purpose of education is something in which we cannot define, although there are many ideologies of what the idea of education is, it’s something which we are unable to define. Education is again something which people are unable to define and always sparks healthy debate. Although we all have an ideology that education is going to school to receive some form knowledge, that’s the general idea. Although there is no right or wrong idea of what education is it is one of the greatest resources in the world.

Most people are lucky enough to receive their education for free while others aren’t so fortunate and will go a lifetime wishing for an education. (Gibb, N 2015) said that ‘Education reform is the great social justice cause of our times. If we are to deliver a fairer society, in which opportunity is shared more widely, we must secure the highest standards of education for all young people, regardless of their background.’ The current purpose behind education is trying to provide a system for everyone, it is a human right to receive an education. ‘How many of our citizens could build a nuclear power station, judge a case in Chancery, read a grant of land in mediaeval Latin, conduct a Mozart concerto, solve an equation in aerodynamics, repair a railway engine?’ (Scruton, R. 2016) Many people have the ability to do incredible things but without education and understanding they can’t access their knowledge.  

Article 2, protocol 1 states that everyone should have the right to an effective education. Meanwhile there are organisations such as Sustainable Development Goals in place which aim to provide a qualitative education for all by 2030 (SDG 2018). This still doesn’t define the ‘purpose’ of education. It’s a good thing to be knowledgeable but it’s pointless if you do not have the education to support it. ‘Education ought to be time and money well spent on investing in the future for our children and, through them, for society as a whole. Instead, for a great many individuals it is a waste of resources, of opportunity, and of young people’s lives’ (Sadler, B. 2018) Many people do ‘waste’ their education and don’t put their knowledge and capabilities to good use and Sadler, B defines this as a waste of a resource as it is the most powerful resource on the planet. Education provides people with endless opportunities. The idea of a purposeful education is to eventually end up with a well paid job, but the idea of a purposeful education has changed massively as the curriculum has changed and will continue to change. As (Donaldson, 2015) proposed an Arts based curriculum which focuses on well being and creativity the idea behind the purpose of education has changed. Many people feel that education should provide people with the power to express themselves creatively, to understand, think cohesively and the performance of knowledge.

One question that many parents and even students ask is ‘why do we have to go to school?’ why do we send children to school for countless hours?(Khun, D Et al, 2005) What is that were trying to achieve by doing this? (Khun, D Et al, 2005) Due to the changing world of work these are questions that teachers are given on the daily, many people feel that a purposeful education equips children with the power to both think and learn and by combining these skills they have enhanced and used their knowledge to access a purposeful education. ‘Education is the passport for the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today’ (Malcolm X).

Different people have different perceptions of education and its purpose and (Gibb, N. 2015) described education as  ‘the engine of our economy, it is the foundation of our culture, and it’s an essential preparation for adult life.’ It seems that the most common factor of why education is purposeful is to prepare children and to help deliver a successful future, or to have a successful adult life. Although this is a good idea as the next generation is the future and we should prepare and build a sustainable economy for them to develop further, education shouldn’t just be based upon this. Education should be meaningful, creative, exploration, imaginative, cultural and expressive. Children should be able to harness their knowledge and apply it to all of these things for a successful adult life. The main motivation for education shouldn’t be for a successful adult life, children should have endless possibilities with the things they do with their knowledge and education, they have the power to change and develop the modern world and they’re the future. The skills and abilities develop in real world and not in artificial situations in class.  People need to go outdoors in order to develop the modern world. Taking into consideration the needs and tendencies of a modern society, we can assume that the purpose of education is to prepare students to be self-sufficient citizens.

Overall, there is no real definition of a purposeful education and what that is,  Although the change in the curriculum will have a massive impact on this and people opinions. There are just many ideologies of what the modern education system should consist of and how we should use the societal needs to develop children to maintain and develop the world. The overall purpose of education seems to have many different reasons the most consistent being that children should be set up for adult life.

References-

• Sadler, B (2018) RSA. ‘What’s the purpose of education?’. Available at: https://www.thersa.org/discover/publications-and-articles/rsa-blogs/2018/01/whats-the-point-of-education (Accessed 11/4/19)
• Gibb, N (2015) Gov.uk. ‘The purpose of education’. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-purpose-of-education (Accessed 11/4/19)
• Scruton, R (2016) Life Spectator. ‘What’s the point of education?’. Available at: https://life.spectator.co.uk/2016/11/whats-point-education/ (Accessed 11/4/19)
• United Nations - Sustainable Development Goals (2018) ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ Available at; https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ (Accessed 11/4/19)
• Education for thinking project (2005) Khun, D et al. Available at: http://www.educationforthinking.org/what-should-education-accomplish.html (Accessed 11/4/19)
• Rebours, J (no date) The British Institute for Human Rights. ‘The Human Rights Act; Unwrapped the right to education’. Available at: https://www.bihr.org.uk/blog/the-human-rights-act-unwrapped-right-to-education (Accessed 11/4/19)
• Malcolm X (No date) Brainy Quote. ‘Top 10 education quotes’. Available at: https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/topics/top_10_education_quotes# (Accessed 11/4/19)
• Mandela, N (no date) Brainy Quote. ‘Top 10 education quotes’. Available at: https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/topics/top_10_education_quotes# (Accessed 11/4/19)