| Educational Apathy |
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| Written by Sylvain Rey | ||||
| Tuesday, 30 September 2008 08:43 PM | ||||
 The Shorthorn: Eduardo Villagrana It would be interesting to ask university and high school students what they actually learn in the classrooms and why they are at school in the first place. Some may say that it is important in order to get a good, preferably high-paying job. Others may say that they would prefer working, but it is impossible to do so without a minimum level of education. Sadly, we may hear some say they have no interest in studying. Such survey research has not been undertaken — but it is easy to answer by looking around and observing peoples’ attitudes toward schoolwork. Attitudes toward education seem to be met with general depression and a feeling of uselessness. A lot of this isn’t due to the education system itself, but rather with its goal — or the absence of it. A look around us will show that what makes our education worthy is what we can do with it. Our economy needs people with certain skills to survive. Because needs change rapidly, to keep up with technology and improvements, the length of study and the requirements of a “good” education change likewise. In other words, the worth of our education is measured against the value that it has for us in the outside world. No wonder everybody feels the weight of boredom and worthlessness upon their shoulders. This approach to education is the product of the mercantile and scientific culture we have created. The worth of anything, only has value if it can be exchanged for something of the same worth. The value of our education is exchanged for the person’s contribution to the economy and society. Are we machines, whose value is only that of feeding the larger machine? The worth of our education is measured by grades — the higher the better — and the information that we only seem to need to take exams — nothing more. Calling this education is very misleading. A more accurate description would be that universities provide training, not education. This is why people mostly opt for a curriculum that answers the demand of the market. Other subjects are shunned as useless and outmoded. Universities only boast of programs that involve high technology and science. In doing so, they also fall into the cold logic of the market — becoming a part of the larger economic machine. A true education provides contact with our inner self, and addresses universal life problems. Subjects that would traditionally be regarded as integral to an education — art, literature or philosophy, for instance — have succumbed to superficiality, there remains little for us to find true value in education. As a consequence, we fall into boredom with feelings of worthlessness and dissatisfaction. Our education system, designed to make us conscious of our humanity, has instead helped destroy it. — Sylvain Rey is an anthropology senior and a columnist for The Shorthorn Views: 1225 | E-mail
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