Running Head: The Paradox of Education

The Paradox of Education

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The Paradox of Education

The Paradox of Education

Introduction
Whether it is a social gathering, a job interview or any sort of
communication, more often than not the question of education is brought
up. What degree one acquires and what institution has it been acquired
from, are the pieces of information almost everybody seeks while getting
to know a person; formally or casually. Education and degree have
become synonymous entities. The society today believes that to lead a
prosperous life and have a social dignity, good education from a
prestigious institution is an absolute necessity. Governments encourage
citizens to educate their children and run various campaigns for the same.
Numerous non-profit organizations serve to educate the poor. While
primary education is necessary for everyone to be able to absorb the
higher knowledge the world has to offer, choosing grades over knowledge
in every major field is like building a house of cards. Do grades really
make a society?

Thesis Statement
The society has highly misinterpreted the term education by
making it the most important prerequisite for a good life. To educate is
believed to be tantamount to memorize and pass an exam. A person is
defined by the grades; instead of the knowledge and skills he or she
possesses. The real education demands the overall growth of an individual

The Paradox of Education

in various fields and should not be a memory-based judgement tool. In my

opinion, a persons worth should not be evaluated by robotically
memorizing the subject and writing it all in an exam but by giving him or
her the exposure to the horizons from which they could define
themselves.

Body
School and family have the most significant effect on a childs
persona. From a very young age, kids are wired to follow the conventional
education system and are loaded with piles of books to blindly memorize
and pass the exams with good grades. The education is meant to give an
individual his own perspective to see the world and choose a role for
himself to play in the society; what the conventional education system
does is, train him to follow the rigid path and take up the pre-assigned role
such as being a doctor, an engineer, the president, etc. This practice
lingers throughout their career path.
In one of his essays, James Baldwin, regarding this irony writes,
as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in
which he is being educated. The purpose of education, finally, is to create
in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own
decisions, to say to himself this is black or this is white, to decide for
himself whether there is a God in heaven or not. To ask questions of the
universe, and then learn to live with those questions, is the way he
achieves his own identity. But no society is really anxious to have that
kind of person around. What societies really, ideally, want is a citizenry

The Paradox of Education

which will simply obey the rules of society. (Baldwin) He further adds that
such society would eventually perish, which is true in my opinion.
Instead of teaching hows and whats, the education should be
able to make the student question those very factors and decide for
himself the answers; this is how the perception is developed. This
perspective is beautifully portrayed in her poem The Cairn by Edna St
Vincent Millay that goes like this: When I think of the little children
learning That two and two are four, and where the rivers of the world
Rise, and the names of the mountains and the principal cities, my heart
breaks. Come up, children! Toss your little stones gaily on the great cairn
of Knowledge! (Millay) The sadistic side of the society that loads the rigid
rules on children is depicted in this poem.
Many of populaces have exam fear; people actually fall sick owing to
the pressure of scoring well in an exam. It gives an idea how the mentality
and tradition of the society are wired when it comes to getting educated.
Most parents encourage their children to achieve good grades instead of
encouraging them to be knowledgeable. A normal so-called educated
person spends more than fifteen years as a student in hope to lend a job
to eventually get settled. This is the basic structure of todays
metropolitan society. This will only lead to a robotic society in which
citizens will be well educated, but little will be learned.

The Paradox of Education

Conclusion
Learning the aspects of the system of study, it is safe to conclude
that the true meaning of my education is to be erudite. I should be able to
identify the black and white, and the shades of grey lying in-between
regarding my beliefs. The true meaning of my education is to teach me
how to think and not what to think. I should be allowed to build my own
perception and be respected for the same. The quote by Martin Luther
King Jr. Intelligence plus character- that is the true goal of education
contextually concludes the conviction made.

References
Baldwin, J. A Talk to Teachers. 1963.
Millay, Edna St Vincent. The Cairn. 1923.