Education should only be concerned with what is useful in life. Discuss.
I would expect that this is a very popular examination question for this year. Education has always been a favourite topic for the cohort.
Define terms
Education: seen as a route to have a better life, to make more money. Usually Asian parents are very concerned with education compared to Western parents. They are so fixated on education that stringent mothers are termed “tiger mom”.
What is considered useful in life- making money (pragmatic view); having good relationships; the need for spiritual development (altruistic view)
What do we really need in life? Students can refer to the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a good point for reference.
Some points that students can consider:
- Education should of course equip students with the right skills and knowledge for their jobs.
- Education should not just be for pragmatic purposes. The value of education is to equip people with the right skills and morals to conduct themselves for the greater society.
- Information gets outdated very quickly in this knowledge-based economy. It is highly likely that students are prepping for jobs that do not even exist or even studying information that could be outdated for the industry when they join the workforce. If that is the case, education should always broaden itself to instilling skills and values to students.
- The intangibles in life such as the attainment of good relationships and the need for spiritual development cannot be taught through a formal education setting. The most that schools can do is to infuse more collaborative projects with one another and to equip students with some tips on interpersonal skills through modular talks and training.
