Although it regularly makes people
upset, angry and frustrated; the education system is fantastically complex – it
attempts to create equality, equality of opportunity and a sense of
meritocracy; it allows people to perform deferred gratification for the greater
good – by providing us with a goal, a
goal that we will forever aspire to. A goal that will motivate us through the
darkest of times, and out the other side again. A goal that makes us who we are
today! Yes, it has its faults; but, what/who doesn’t? It’s a colossal agency
that provides almost every child/adolescent with a sense of being worthy - unfortunately
though, it isn’t exactly omnibenevolent.
Some people might say that the
education system isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Students are exploited by the government;
the very people that are supposed to be preparing them for the unpredictable world
of work. They are regularly discouraged from studying certain subjects, because
they are ‘stupid’ or the ‘wrong gender.’
Personally, I think that we, as
students, should have a choice in what we do – we already have a limited say in
the education system; so it’s about time we actually had our voices heard by authority.
We
should have a
say in the way that schools are run, what subjects we study and how we study
them. The government are clueless, they are ‘children of their time;’ and
cannot possibly relate to the 2014 education system, from the perspective of a
student – whereas, we can!
Although, the government are doing something right; students are given opportunities, it’s whether
they grasp them or not that creates the individual differences. Which is why
certain students will stay at home for months on end, doing work – instead of
having a ‘social life;’ they will pull ‘all-nighters’ in order to finish some
coursework, or revise for an exam. They do it because they want to succeed; they
want to obtain a high-quality job; a job that they will enjoy doing, day-in and day-out.
Whereas, some students don’t
care; they’ll stroll into lesson half an hour late, with McDonalds in one hand,
and their phone in the other – only to sit there, and complain about having to attend
school; whilst having a chat about irrelevant ‘gossip’ and distract others from
learning. They will get drunk every weekend and answer back to their teachers –
and why? Because they have no motivation. They don’t see the point in attending
school.
Although, at the end of the day, what
they don’t realise is that learning ‘pointless’ information could get you straight
As; which could then get you into a decent university; therefore, lead you on
the right track to obtain your ‘dream job,’ earn a high wage and live financially
stable life; a life in which you would be happy to raise a child or two, or
more... a life where you are happy, and most of all - a life in which you look
back and have no regrets. It is like a domino effect; the more you defer your gratification,
the more you will be rewarded – it is meritocratic!
However, the unmotivated ones – they
will look back and feel full of regret; whilst they are perched on their reclining
armchair, in a council flat, living off of the state and working in a factory on
the nightshift, as well as being a so-called ‘member’ or the ‘urban underclass’
– they will wish that they had tried harder in education when they had the
chance.
Therefore, the education system
is successful; although it has flaws, it does provide us with amazing
opportunities to change our lives for the better, both short and long-term. This
is why I am ‘Pro-Education.’
