Analysis of Education Reforms - Research Paper Example

 Analysis of Education Reforms Education can be described as the entire act, process or experience of imparting knowledge and information with the sole aim of improving an individual’s character, mental and physical abilities. Education involves all the processes of learning that are aimed at inculcating positive values, norms, ideas, skills and knowledge to an individual. It is the process through which individuals learn. Education involves the transmission of valuable skills, ideas, knowledge and values from generation to generation. The main aim of education is to bring out an individual’s potential that is already within. The meaning of education has changed severally throughout history. This has been due to debates by scholars over what experiences and content result in an individual or society being educated. Education can be formal and informal. Formal education refers to the organized process of instructing, developing and training individuals within a formally structured, certified and approved program or environment. Formal education follows a pre-described curriculum that is administered by trained and qualified personnel. It is usually supported by governments and it leads to formal certification. Informal education on the other hand refers to education that takes place outside a formally structured and organized school environment. It is usually not compulsory and some governments may support it while others may not. Formal certification is not given for informal education (Guthrie 43). Generally, formal education in most jurisdictions begins at pre-school. It then proceeds to primary school, secondary school and finally to higher education. The demand for improved education and the efforts towards high quality standards have necessitated education reforms in the education sector. Education reform is broadly interpreted to mean the major change in how individuals formally access information and knowledge. Education reforms can be implemented by enforcing broad changes in the curriculum. The reforms can also be implemented by educational stakeholders and individual educators (Blackburn 19). This paper focuses on the stands of ancient scholars concerning education and the opinions of modern reformists on the same. It also highlights my position as the writer and which side I agree with. It describes why I subscribe to the school of thought that I have chosen and why I think the ancient schools of thought were misleading. According to Plato, children can never be forced to learn! They can only learn effectively if they want to. In his book, The Republic, he says that learning which is compulsory will never stick in the mind of the learner. However, modern education reforms focus on the spread of compulsory education worldwide. Those who subscribe to this school of thought claim that there were no widespread educational reforms until organized schooling became adequately systematized. Personally, I vehemently disagree with Plato and all those who subscribed to his school of thought. I believe in compulsory education for all. Compulsory education may be described as a period whereby all persons that fall under a prescribed age group, usually 6 to 16 years, attend formal educational facilities. It may also be the compulsory educational attendance of all persons up to a certain grade. In the modern world, democracy, economic growth and compulsory education have improved the quality, attendance and value of education. They have created awareness on the importance of education for all (Swassing 28). I believe that all persons, children or adults, should have continuous access to effective and high quality education. Modern reforms in education do not subscribe to ancient schools of thought such as those of Plato. Modern reforms are driven by a strong understanding of the importance of education. They concentrate on what works and what does not work in education and what actions to take to improve educational standards. In my personal opinion, the ancient classical education of the West (18th to 19th Century) had many loopholes and shortcomings. These inspired many reformers to try and change the situation (Annas 14). Classical education mainly restricted itself to answering ‘when, what, who and how’ questions that concern many students. Classical education disregarded local cultures and languages. It emphasized ancient languages such as Latin and Greek and their cultures. Before many reformers and governments stepped in to initiate educational reforms, the educational sector in the West was dominated by Classical education systems. These systems of education mainly taught bookkeeping and grammar. The main aim if this was to enable citizens to become entrepreneurs and to give them skills to manage their businesses. Individuals such as Adam Bell and Joseph Lancaster were against this system. In a bid to improve education, Joseph Lancaster established the Lancaster schools. They provided grammar education at a fee of $40 per year which would reduce depending on the students’ performance. Educational stakeholders later found Lancaster schools to be threatening. They developed compulsory public paid education so as to effectively manage education (Guthrie 31). There were further proposals for reforms from scholars such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. Like me, they were strongly opposed to the ideas proposed by Plato’s Republic. They highly criticized them and termed them ineffective. Plato and Socrates insisted that it was injustice to force a child to go to school. They proposed that a child should only go to school if they want. They should not be forced or coerced because they will not learn. Just like the reformists, I totally disagree. I am of a different opinion. I support Jean-Jacques Rousseau when he proposed that education should begin at childhood. Children have a lot of potential that needs to be unlocked. Education should be made compulsory straight from childhood (Annas 42). There should be compulsory education for newborns to adulthood. I think that this is the only way humans can be molded into responsible citizens. Just like these scholars, I advocate for an educational system that realizes the God given potential of a child plus its curiosity to learn. Later on, other scholars like John Dewey brought further reforms to education which supports my stand of opposing Classical education. John Dewey proposed experiential education. He argued that this would enable learners to learn both practice and theory at the same time. He harshly criticized ancient systems of education. He referred to them as dead knowledge which was totally impractical and disconnected from real human life. I totally agree. This ancient education was rigid and unrealistic. I support that schools and educational institutions should encourage learners to learn by doing. John Dewey also supports this in his books, “Logic, The Theory of Inquiry” (1938); “The School and Society” and “Democracy and Education” (1916). In conclusion, I fully support modern progressive reforms in education. I believe that education is a basic human need that should be provided and accorded to everyone. It is a human right that all people are entitled. Even statutory bodies such as the United Nations realize this. I agree that education should be compulsory for every child. No child should remain at home while others are in school. Basic education such as primary and secondary should be made free so that all those who have qualified can attend schools. I do not believe that very young children have the capacity to know what is right for them. They do not know the importance of education until it is fully explained to them. They do not have the ability to make the right choices concerning critical areas of their lives such as their education. If given an option, most children will opt to stay away from school and engage in activities that they consider being fun. These include playing games at home with other children, playing computer games and surfing the Internet as opposed to going to school which they think is boring (Noddings 7). According to psychologists, it is true that humans do not like doing things under duress. If we let children decide what they want to do with their lives, what kind of generations are we bringing up? Parents or guardians decide on all other aspects of their children’s’ lives such as what their children will wear, what they will eat and where they will spend their holidays. Why should children decide if they want to go to school or not? I totally disagree with classical education and its proposers such as Plato. Children need to be guided by experienced adults who know what is best for them. The children need to be advised accordingly and taken to school to get education. It is for their good. If this decision is left to children, most of them will opt out of school (Annas 23). I propose that the children should be made to understand the importance of education in their lives and then taken to school. By doing this, we will make the children understand why they are in school and they will be retained in school. Works Cited Annas, Julia. A Introduction to Plato's Republic. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Blackburn, Simon. Plato's Republic: A Biography. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007. Print Guthrie, James W. Encyclopedia of Education. New York: Macmillan, 2002. Print Noddings, Nel. Philosophy of Education. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995. Print Swassing, H. R.and Barbe and W. B. Teaching Through Modality Strengths: Concepts and Strengths. Columbus, O.H: Zaner-Bloser, 1979. Print Read More