Education

Education is a fundamental activity that enables humans in particular to “advance”. By learning from what has gone before we do not have to rediscover. The alternative would be for each generation to start from the same point as the previous.

Apart from the élite that could read and right most of the world until very recently learnt in two ways. The main way was from their parents, often following in the same trade. The additions stories, travelling minstrels and players would bring news and new ideas from the outside world that would expand the horizon.

Formal education for the masses was gradually rolled out form 1700’s gathering pace during the industrial revolution. However, it was only with the invention of the printing press (1436) and the increased availability of books that changed things. Books, and the ability to read democratised education.

To access this medium required the ability to read. If your parents couldn’t read, you needed to be taught by someone else. That required formal education. So the western world has had large scale formal education for something around 300 years (probably less). In the early days the amount of formal educations was relatively low a few hours a week, maybe just a Sunday school and even then only for a few hours. Children still got most of their education from the adults in their family including their social and moral education.

As more and more time and years are spent in formal education the social moral education has increasingly come from other children of the same age. You may say the teachers give this but in reality they are only trying to control a class so they can teach a specific subject, maths, geography, physics etc. Most interaction is with other children. As I watch my grandchild (nearly two) I notice that when he is in nursery his development of speech and hand eye coordination is increases. That sounds like a good thing but is it? He is developing because he is in a competitive environment where he is vying for with the other children for attention. He is “learning to interact with other children”. Great for preparing him for school, but is that the right foundation?

The art of parenting and parental responsibility is something politicians say is missing, but the parents only see their kids for a few hours most days. Even at weekends they want to spend their time in the relatively familiar company of other kids, not their parents or grandparents. And there are other social pressures on people; work, mortgages etc, that make the time parents spend with their kids less and less.

Humans do adapt the change in increasing formal education is having the biggest effect on our society. I understand that giving everyone the best education and start in life is a noble endeavour. I also believe that children should spend more time with their elder family members to build up adult social skills. Unfortunately not all families are the same and some may suffer while others gain.However, I thing fixing families is going to deliver more benefits than fixing education in the long term