What is the purpose of education?

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Six or seven years ago my answer to this question would probably have been different. I am now both a teacher and a father, in fact I have been for nearly five years. I am both education consumer and provider. My son has just begun full time education and my perspective on what it should be is mixed.

I don’t have a clear idea about education’s purpose. I believe it is a whole range of things that I am sure are applicable to all of us in some respect.

My son is naturally curious, he asks questions when it seems there are none to ask. I don’t want education to answer them all for him necessarily – I want education to be there to listen to him, and to encourage him to question more. Education should help us to question what we see, hear and experience, and challenge the world we inhabit with our curiosity.

He dreams up imaginary characters / worlds / situations / predicaments / plot lines / battles / relationships and plays them out with what he has around him. I hope education shines a light on this creativity and seeks it out. Education should draw from him these precious sparks and help him craft them into something beautiful. Education needs to nurture the different precious sparks we all have.

I want him to struggle and to feel challenged. I want the education he encounters to be brave enough to let him fail and to support him if he does and help him learn the lessons. Environments that encourage risk and innovation will also intrinsically understand failure. Education should embrace all the ups and downs, the bumps in the road, the setbacks and hurdles, the scraped knees and bruises, the ‘Let’s have another go’, and not just the success at the end of the road / line / course / year .

To work in education it helps to be passionate. I want my son to see the drive and determination in another person at some point in the next few years. I want him to feel that human to human inspiration that is so powerful. Education should be about giving young people inspiration and belief – these can come from the environment that surrounds them. But it will probably resonate more strongly from one passionate person.

Looking out is as important as looking in. Education needs to support children to find out who they are as well as their place in the world and how they can make a difference.

My son is happy at school, he has made a great start. That makes us happy. Education should be about cradling happiness.

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purposed.org.uk

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  • http://www.leuthold-kostenas.ch/ Privatdetektive agency

    Education is vitally important. It increases your knowledge, skills and develops you fully. If you want to get a good job, you should have a good education.

  • Sue Cowley

    I hope your son has as good an experience of state primary schools are my 2 children did. Funny how our perspective as parents can change our thinking as teachers.

  • Smart

    I’m Kinika
    Smart, department of business trade in Shenyang University of Chemical
    Technology China. I think education is an instrument used in boosting ones
    mentality and sense of reasoning on how to leave a sustainable life, the basic
    part in obtaining education is by parents while going to school is to rebrand
    and modify the one been obtained from your parents.

  • Azadeh

     thank u so much for nice ideas every body… i have a daughter…she’s 4 years..

  • Oshomi Rosemary N

    one basic different that distinguish an educated fellow from illiterate is level of understanding when situation arose,composure,courage and the lit. there is no recognition of one that has noting to give now.I wonder what one with low level of education has to offer this modern word of ours full of technologies. Inshot and infact education make a man. Education! the strongest weapon to defeat poverty and ignorance.

  • Ifakhn21

    i dont understand

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  • http://www.intercolleges.com/ Robin Piggott

    The purpose of education is to guide human
    beings to achieve the basic life goals, which is to exist, multiply and
    act positively in caring for the environment and contributing to the
    society.
    Education is more than schooling and is the process of dispelling
    human ignorance of the world as well as developing the inherent
    potential for perfection. Every human being without exception is seeking
    for happiness in life and has the inherent potential to live happily.
    Also, the resources needed to attain happiness in life are in the world.
    Unfortunately, human beings lack a clear understanding of how to
    development his/her potential as well as utilize the resources in the
    world to attain happiness in life. The purpose of education is therefore
    to develop our potential and to guide us to understand the resources in
    the world as well as utilize our potentials and the resources to attain
    happiness in life.

     

  • Noorahmedsoomro

    Education is probably one of the core elements
    that contribute to the holistic development of a person. It is defined
    as the process of developing a person’s knowledge, skill and character
    by going through a learning process.today’s advancement and progress in modern science or present humen civilization is because of education.Soomro Noor Ahmed NoorGuddu Sindh

     

  • rararchives

    Hi ! Thank you for this
    information.
    rararchives

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  • meenu

    a very good definition indeed for the future

  • Engcraxmaan mohamed hassan

    fist greated him all this comment my name is abdirahman mohamed hassan iam somalia students
    degree of bachelor international university of africa faculty of engineering ok
    i don’t have clear idea but if guess education is the key of the life
    as we know education person and non education person are not same good byy

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