A week ago I had a Twitter conversation with Thomas Staunton about the role of education. After a brief chit-chat, we both decided to pen our thoughts on the topic of ‘What Purpose Does Education Serve in Today’s World’?
Thomas Staunton has his post published on his website here, where you can read his thoughts. And you can read my thoughts in this post. At the time of writing, neither of us knows what the other thinks.
My views on Education are quite simple. I don’t like it. Personally, I don’t think a degree is worth the paper it’s printed on. I finished school and then went on to do a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from a Polytechnic in Mumbai. I was content with it, I was learning, enjoying and looking forward to it. Then began society’s relentless questions on what I was going to do in the future?
I was 17 when I began an internship with an Engineering giant. I quickly realised I could not work my way through the working life if I didn’t have degree documents and qualifications to back me up. Even then, doing a Diploma was considered ‘less intelligent’, whilst it was exactly the opposite as I didn’t do the time-wasting of college life and signed up to hardcore Engineering. After the internship, I decided to do a degree, JUST TO GET A JOB and get some qualification backing.
Now, you might think that is not too nice. Well, it’s not. But that’s society today.
In our society, education is not knowledge anymore, it’s results, it’s the name of university, it’s the region or country you come from!
Education is just a pass that allows you to knock on the employers’ doors. Without it, you will be nowhere near a job. Education was supposed to help society. I wanted to be an Engineer to help society. But that was quickly doused off by society mocking my thirst for knowledge.
Even at University, who cares what you are taught? No-one. As an international student, I’ve paid higher fees and got no more knowledge than I would’ve if I learnt through Wikipedia or went straight into a job. Although, I wouldn’t get a job if I didn’t have a degree!
To conclude, the society has driven students and graduates to get educated for job purposes, to make careers out of it. There is a very small percentage who get educated for society’s sake; the rest of us killed our passion years ago.
I don’t know what Thomas Staunton has to say, and I hope he writes something good on this topic, because I hope there are some individuals who have the power and passion to change the thinking on education today.
As for me, I am ‘part of the society’ Working, Earning, Living. In that order.
Please read Thomas Stauntons’ views on What Purpose Does Education Serve in Today’s World.
What are your views on the topic? Comment below or email me: faizan.p@@outlook.com.
Image Credit: All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski
