Opportunities of Quality Education - Research Paper Example

Cultural Critique: Education Introduction Most of the people usually have a misconception that good education equates to better opportunities in life. Almost everyone in the society wants to attend a good academic institution because of the notion that good academic institutions can provide quality education to him or her. A good academic certificate may provide good opportunities for the educated individuals. Personally, in critically analyzing the significance of education, success in life does not necessarily depend on quality education. Quality education does not directly equate to success and prosperity, among other things. Education is an important tool for the individuals in the society to understand the world better, and subsequently create a better world and life. In addition, quality education has the capacity to improve the personality of an individual. Consequently, this essay challenges the misconception of some parents granting their children quality education solely because they want their children to be successful and prosperous in future. Does better education provide a better life? It can be argued that better education may be an inclination toward better life. The primarily role of education to an individual is the ability to offer knowledge, competence and the skills required of an individual to participate effectively in the happenings of the society as well as the economy. Education has the capacity to improve the lives of individuals within the society such that it helps in the development and advancement of political interests, health challenges, wellbeing and participation in civic activities. According to OECD Better Life Index, research studies reveal that educated people within the society lives longer and actively partake in political matters (OECD). Further, individuals with better education participate actively in the communities where they reside, engage less in criminal activities and do not depend on social assistance as their counterparts with no or little education. Better education is somehow equated to better life because of the increased opportunities and potential that quality education offers in securing good employment and pocketing good earnings. When compared to individuals with poor educational background, educated members of the society are affected by the unemployment tendencies to a lesser extent because the educational accomplishments make them more attractive to the labor market (Rouse). It is also argued that higher levels of education correspond to increased earnings in the employment market (OECD). As a result, highly educated people would have the advantage of having higher earnings with the advantage of accessing better services such as health services. Alternatively, individuals can achieve better life without necessarily having better education. The case of Malcolm X for instance, enjoyed better life but did not have the privilege to acquire better education. He had little education but still succeeded in life because the education he acquired was not imperative for his success but helped to understand the world in a much better way. He could communicate effectively with members of the society. He came to understand about several words that existed that he did not have an idea of. The little education that Malcolm got made him to go places, meet people and understand events that took place in the world (Wiener 84). Success in life can arise from individuals with low education but are innovative and productive with their lives. Nonetheless, education is important in helping individuals to improve their understanding of the world and relationship with the society. Talent, motivation and creativity in individuals are the most important elements in the success and prosperity of people (Thiel). These elements are not imparted in individuals through good education; therefore, education cannot be a necessity for better life. Good education is considered as a secondary factor in achieving success and prosperity in life. Good education is attributed for increasingly motivating individuals to scale greater heights within the society. Better life is made up of elements, such as improved problem-solving abilities and managing fundamental changes in life like redundancy. Getting good education help people within the society to improve and understand how to use the skills they have effectively as well as those acquired through education (BBC News). What education really means? The utility role of education is least appreciated within the society unlike the economic and sociological benefits derived from good education. Education helps individuals within the society to participate effectively in developing the economy and the society as a whole. Education also implies the acquisition of knowledge, competence, skills and experiences to help a person become better in life (Spears and Loomis 176). Education and schooling also constitutes on developing the acceptable morals and principles in an individual. Education imparts moral principles like truth, goodness and beauty in the learned people. Appropriate ends of education are achieved through moral uprightness and principles. As a result, good education is the concept of transforming an individual to a better person via the development and advancement of knowledge, virtues, skills, wisdoms and sentiments (Spears and Loomis 176). The ultimate aim of education is to develop a properly functioning human within the society. The process of development and flourishing, entailed in education, accounts for the universal and particular information (Spears and Loomis 176). Education is not meant to primarily impart intellectual development in individuals. The comprehensive goal of education ought to be producing functioning people within the society with competence and virtues to help make the society and the world a better place to live in. Individuals who have gone through school may have acquired some competencies and skills but failed to grasp certain specialties. These individuals cannot be termed to be poorly educated because in other areas they are competent. James Thurber during his studies for example, failed to excel in certain specialties like botany but still made it to contribute positively toward the society. He gives instances of several students who had varied competencies in different areas (Wiener 77). This is an indication that education cannot be solely equated to the competencies and skills that one acquires. In life humans continue learning new things and can never be said to have knowledge in everything. The meaning of education has always stirred controversies and varied opinions with certain individuals regarding education as a way of establishing and sustaining a democratic society. In contrast, others perceive education a fundamental medium through which individuals acquire economic success and prosperity via investments (Kohn). Good education equates to the values, principles and virtues in an individual and not the quality of schooling or the quality of an academic institutions where an individual goes through during education. Education helps individuals to develop the competence; skills, attitudes and knowledge that enable them function effectively in a diverse society. Education is, therefore, a transformation that needs open mind and the readiness to understand other people, and change individual presumptions. Education is about development of humans to facilitate a more civilized coexistence of diverse inhabitants within the same society. Education necessitates unity of humanity in diversity across the world (Venter). How do I think about education? Education is a lifelong process that makes humans to understand better and relate well with other inhabitants of the diverse society. Education should never be equated to possessing certain attributes because having such attributes is not adequate measure to imply that an individual is educated. An individual can, thus, be educated without necessarily possessing the attributes commonly associated with education in the contemporary society (Kohn). Going to school and sitting in the classroom for certain hours while learning about some new concepts does not necessarily make an individual to be educated. The particular job skills and competencies acquired through education should not be used to classify an individual as either educated or not. Several instances have demonstrated that graduates can get out of the school system but fail to deliver the skills and competencies they acquired. This does not mean that these graduates are not educated (Kohn). Moreover, education cannot be equated or measured using test scores. People who perform well in exams do not necessarily mean that they are well educated. There are talented people who fail to perform well in standardized tests. Such types of individuals have significantly influenced the society and help people to understand how to coexist peacefully within the diverse society, which exemplifies their education (Kohn). Conversely, high scoring individuals in standardized tests to do not directly imply that they are educated than the low scoring counterparts. In certain cases, some individuals may score highly, overestimating their intellectual competence and gifts. No particular test can be said to be adequately legitimate, reliable, or meaningful to be administered as a benchmark for assessing education (Kohn). The mere memorization of facts and familiarity with several books, words and ideas should not be a means of determining the educated people in the society. This method is a poor indication of the concept of education. The loads of information obtained from school through education are only worthy if they are put into action to understand the society better and coexist with diverse individuals peacefully. Individuals with facts and knowledge but fails to put them into practice within the society should be perceived to be poorly educated because they contribute less towards the wellbeing of the society (Kohn). What most think about education? Generally, there is a perception that going to school is equivalent to being educated. In reality, there should be a difference between having gone to school and being educated. The society majorly relates education to good life in terms of economic prosperity and monetary gains. People subscribe to the notion that going to good academic institutions means than an individual will achieve good education. Subsequently, several people desire to attend good schools to be successful and enjoy good life (Linhart). The present world has increasingly emphasized technical and professional knowhow. Consequently, education has been equated to acquisition of the technical and professional information. Education is significantly associated with knowing and not knowing. Education has been thought of more in relation to the discrete educational experiences instead of the continual process that enlightens and develops human understanding on the world and the society (Schultz and Hultsman 569). While many people agree that education is a medium to success and prosperity in life, it is not the primary and the only way. Education is an important element in coexisting with other people in the society, but it is not obtained through attendance of school because knowledge and understanding is not automatically imparted in learning institutions. The technical and professional knowledge commonly presumed to be education may not help in improving the intellect and understanding of certain individuals (Kohn). Most people think that they cannot be successful in life without education attained through attending school. Education has been turned to a tool for creating a creative labor force to earn money. Standardized testing has been increasingly pushed as the single determinant of success in education. Education has been reduced to certain specialties represented by several schools cutting back on areas, such as extracurricular activities. This exemplifies the contemporary notion of education in learning institutions (Linhart). How important is education? Education helps individuals to explore and understand their humanity. Education is important in promoting peace and harmonious coexistence among people with diverse backgrounds within the society. Ultimately, education has significance in assisting people to live in the present diverse society (Venter). Education is important because it helps explore the human and moral values. The values of human beings are of immense importance because they are captured and articulated in the learning process. Through education, individuals from diverse backgrounds attempt to understand one another, and to understand the relations in human life (Venter). Education has the ability to transform the individuals to live better lives and be in social harmony with the society. Education enable people to acquire the necessary attribute in life, which makes life better and easier to cope with. It is important for individuals to be educated because it offers the opportunity to contribute towards building the economy and the society. Furthermore, education helps motivate individuals across the world to achieve better things that make the world a better place to live in (Deltasigaz). Education helps people to grow and develop both personally and socially. Moreover, through education, individuals exercise their mind and spirit to achieve greater heights. This is because education entails acquiring knowledge in various aspects (Deltasigaz). Education prepares individuals for radical changes and opens their minds to accommodate the changes in life. Conclusion Education elicits mixed opinions on its importance and what it entails. Collectively, most people admit that education is important for human coexistence in heterogeneous society. Education helps people to understand the world in which they live besides developing and enhancing their opinions and ideas on life happenings. It can be argued that better education may be an inclination towards better life, but it is not the only means. The society majorly relates education to good life in terms of economic prosperity and monetary gains. Education helps people to grow and develop both personally and socially, exploring the moral values and virtues in life. Works Cited BBC News. Education promises a better life. 2 July 2001. Web. 13 July 2012. Deltasigaz. The importance of education. n.d. Web. 13 July 2012. Kohn, Alfie. What Does It Mean to Be Well-Educated? March 2003. Web. 13 July 2012. Linhart, Terry. We’ve changed how we think about education. n.d. Web. 13 July 2012. OECD. Education. n.d. Web. 13 July 2012. Rouse, Cecilia E. "Investing in a Better Life." The New York Times 23 August 2011. Schultz, Randy and John Hultsman. "Education As Lived Experience." Education 132.3 (2012): 568-575. Spears, Paul D. and Steven R. Loomis. Education for Human Flourishing: A Christian Perspective. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2008. Print. Thiel, Peter. "College Doesn’t Create Success." The New York Times 25 August 2011. Venter, Elza. Philosophy of Education as a Means to Educate Humanity in a Diverse South Africa. n.d. Web. 13 July 2012. Wiener, Harvey S. Major Themes for Modern Writers. New York : Pearson Longman, 2007. Print. Read More