In our rapidly changing society, we are often bombarded with grandiose statements about public services like transportation, science, and education. These catchphrases may sound impressive, but their vague nature leaves room for interpretation and manipulation. The problem lies in the fact that each individual can define these terms in their own way, allowing them to fit any goal they desire.
For example, when we talk about transportation for national growth and science for wealth generation, it could mean a myriad of things. To achieve national growth, we could focus on improving farm-to-market roads, reducing middlemen, enhancing storage facilities, and expediting the process of bringing products from the field to the table. While all these proposals are interconnected, the use of vague terms enables politicians to simply tick off one item from the list, cut ribbons, and pose for photo-ops to create an illusion of progress and secure reelection.
Similarly, when we discuss education for the future, we need to question its purpose. Is it solely about providing students with the necessary skills to obtain good jobs? If so, we reduce education to a mere stepping stone, where students go through the motions of school to secure a diploma for their resumes. Or should education be about cultivating students who can contribute to national growth and wealth generation? Yet that too falls into the trap of using education as a means to an uncertain future, ultimately diluting the true essence of education.
The issue with relying on catchphrases, particularly within education, is that it leads to a narrow and superficial understanding of its value. Taxpayers, lawmakers, and policymakers tend to view education as nothing more than classrooms, lectures, tests, and pieces of paper. By reducing education to these images, it becomes an easy target for criticism. The drunken uncle at the Christmas party claims that the most important lessons are learned outside the classroom because teachers are liars. The latest video platform dismisses lectures as boring and replaces them with trivial 30-second videos. So-called education experts advocate for multiple-choice exams to simplify the grading process, discouraging debate and discussion. The grandparent advises their grandchildren to solely focus on getting a diploma and finding a job or getting married. All these perspectives fail to recognize the true essence of education.
When education is reduced to mere representation, we also witness policies that adopt a paranoid approach. Confidential funds are allocated to track down teachers allegedly aligned with leftist groups, linking classrooms to student rebellion. Mandatory military training is implemented under the guise of instilling discipline and nationalism. Streamlined curriculums are introduced without a clear understanding of their purpose. These policies fail to recognize that education is a process that goes beyond the physical classroom.
To truly address the needs of students, we must see education as a continuous process of developing their mental abilities, their capacity to engage with others, and their passion for lifelong learning. This requires deliberately designing classrooms and educational environments. Eliminating outdated information and equipment, creating collaborative spaces, providing interactive learning materials, encouraging reading, writing, and critical thinking, involving parents in the educational journey, and investing in teacher training and remuneration are all essential steps. Although these measures may be challenging and costly, they are crucial if we want to prioritize real education over political expediency. Education should not be reduced to a tool for reelection but rather regarded as a long-term investment in the future.
We must move away from blanket solutions and instead propose and implement detailed policies, even if they require a larger budget that is transparent and accessible to all. Education should have taught us to search for truth, demand accountability, recognize abuse, and speak up against injustice. If we fail in these goals, then education itself has failed us.
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