Introduction
Education is a form of learning, through which the knowledge & skills are transferred from one generation to the next generation through teaching & training. It is a process of receiving & rendering systematic knowledge through some institutions like School College & University. There are two types of education formal & informal. Formal education happens through a systematic way, school college then university. Informal education is self directed learning, a person is a self teacher.
The importance of education is to teach a person to become morally upright & educationally balanced, it a process of building a good human being with good values & morals, to develop knowledge, skills & creativity. Education teaches a person to think critically & effectively, but it can also create a menace to the society, a criminal can be educated but have no morals, in that case one must consider two factors intelligence & character, which is the essence of true education (Murphy, et. al., 2008).
Education is needed for man & his society, a good mannered person is a boon to the society, but the opposite is a curse. A good person helps the society to grow for example he tries to keep his surroundings clean, help his neighbours etc. but a ill mannered person can create nuisance. The two fold education for man & society is utility & culture, it enable a person to be more efficient in achieving the target of life (Murphy, et. al., 2008). It teaches us to free our minds from any types of superstitions, prejudices & half truths. Education enables us to differentiate between true & false, facts & fiction, & real from unreal (Murphy, et. al., 2008).
The three purposes for education can be highlighted as below.
- Preparing students so that they can compete in the job market: Getting a job in these days is difficult without proper education, other than the systematic education technical training, well conversed with computers, real life experiences & adjustments to the work environment are the most wanted part.
- Educating the students for becoming responsible citizens: Educating them to follow values & morals in their daily life & apply them when required (Murphy, et. al., 2008).
Purposes of Schooling
A school is an institution for systematic education of children. Schools existed since ancient times, academy of ancient Greece, roman school of ancient Rome, Gurukul of ancient India etc. The purposes of schooling can be as below.
Intellectual Purpose: The longstanding purpose of a school is to build up intellectual development of the students, educating the students are the most important purpose of a school (Gilleylen, et.al., 2008). Intellectual development leads to individual enlightenment, ability to think critically, & above all to become a good human being.
Social Purpose: Human being is a social animal & he has to maintain some social responsibility. A school teaches how to be socially balanced, for example a small child after eating a chocolate throws the wrapper anywhere, it is in the school he is instructed to throw it in the dustbin. It is in school he is taught how to adjust with his surroundings, how to take care of his fellow beings without being selfish (Gilleylen, et.al., 2008).
Economic Purpose: A highly educated person gets a good job, which leads to good economic condition. The systematic education with knowledge in different subjects in schools, technical & field oriented knowledge in colleges & universities, a well educated workforce is in great demand.
Political & Civic Purposes: A good education in a school only helps to develop a proper decision making skill, a person can judge himself as well as others properly. For example he will vote the right person as the future leader. He can contribute to the society, he can be well informed about his country & community (Gilleylen, et.al., 2008).
Schooling and Diversity
There are different race, ethnicity, religion, and gender in our educational systems, & we need effective methods to teach all these students. A school needs a teacher who can teach students of different culture, language, characteristics & abilities. A teacher must conduct a class where all the students are welcomed, supported & accepted regardless of their culture or linguistic background & are provided with the same opportunity, without any such discrimination (Richards, et.al., 2006). To increase the participation & success a teacher must help the students to bridge the gap between their home & school. A teacher must provide the scope of adjustments to the students so that they can feel comfortable in the classroom (Gay, 2002).
Schooling As A System
Schooling as a system is the process of education from kindergarten through high school. For example, we can go through the diagram of the U.S. Education System.
Map of the U.S. Education System
Source: American School System. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.rzuser.uniheidelberg.de/~el6/presentations/pres_c2_uss/TheAmericanSchoolSystem.htm
U.S. education system has three segments primary, secondary & post secondary. Starting at the age of 3 to 18, in between comes the elementary school, middle school & high school. After 18 years they go for undergraduate courses, then post graduation, then doctorate & at last post doctorate. Students don’t give final exam but earn credits at the end of the course. (American School System. n.d.)
Conclusion
Education & schooling in a man’s life is very important, because it helps him to develop academically, emotionally, physically & morally. It helps a person to think critically & make their decisions accordingly.
Reference:
American School System. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.rzuser.uniheidelberg.de/~el6/presentations/pres_c2_uss/TheAmericanSch oolSystem.htm
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53 (2), 106-116.
Gilleylen, J., Hoogasian, J., Hunt, R., Johnson, E., Kristie, A., Landolfi, J., Mishriky, M., Marples, R. (1999). The Aims of Education. London, Routledge.
Murphy, T., Preleski, L., Rigano, J., Schall, E., & Zafrin, L. (2008). The Purpose of Schooling: Beliefs and Practices of Educators in British Schools. TERC Documents.Paper 6.
Richards, H.V., Brown, A.F. & Forde, T. B. (2006). Addressing diversity in schools: culturally responsive pedagogy. Retrieved from http://www.nccrest.org/Briefs/Diversity_Brief.pdf
