Education is very important for social progress. Whether our civilization will flourish or not is dependent on the quality of education we offer children. As it stands, the education system today has a few obvious flaws. The foremost is the emphasis on competition and grades, which turns students into machines that cram up data before an examination. But such a method is unlikely to produce original and critical thinkers for the future. So, in order to have a bright future for education as well as for society a revision in education methods, curriculum and goals is called for.
One of the ways in which to secure the future of education is to embrace bold and experimental systems of education. The Pragmatist education model that was inspired by philosopher John Dewey is a case in point. In this system there are no grades for individual performance. What matters is creativity, community participation and collective problem-solving. The curriculum is also not restricted – the student can choose to acquire knowledge as his/her curiosity and interests dictate. This system should be tried out in schools today to prevent education from being a boring and purely academic exercise.
If education continues to adopt the same model that is prevalent today, then it is a disservice for human potential as well as for the noble profession of education itself. Unless educators and administrators take a bold step forward and adopt progressive education systems like the one proposed by John Dewey, education will cease to hold any moral value in the future.
Reference:
Education for the Future, url: http://eff.csuchico.edu/html/home.html, perused on 7th October 2013