Ban, Pujan: Paglia

School Education-A Resource or a Business?

Miriam Webster’s Dictionary defines education as “the knowledge and development resulting from an educational process.” Thus our dedication in school prepares us to get stabilized and functioning in later stages of lifetime. But does today’s school really help students prepare for survival or is it only profit based company?

One of the important roles of education is to prepare students get their satisfying goals in life. For example, if students want to become successful engineers, they need to pursue a school education in order to accomplish their goal and thus may get satisfying positions in their lives. But without education it is impossible get what they intend, to become successful engineers. So school education provides a resource that students may need to reach their destination.

Moreover getting an education enables persons to be socialized in society. It enables then to mix with others who come from different backgrounds and cultures. School education helps students to get knowledge on broader topics rather on only an aspect of their interest.  Students majoring in Engineering can take courses like psychology or health that can sharpen their abilities in those fields.

But the main question that arises is whether the educational system is becoming more specialized or focusing on students benefits. In the essay, Revalorizing the Trades, Camille Paglia wrote, “Jobs, and the preparation of students for them, should be front and center in the thinking of educators.” Exposing students to the real environment where they can learn the value of money can be a way to prepare them fit for the jobs. But nowadays schools are more business oriented. Schools focus on attracting students through their extra features (such as sports) rather than the quality of education they provide. Educators concentrate on teaching theoretically rather than making students learn practical things.

In order to be competent in this competitive world, schools should be able to provide the environment that teaches a student to be prepared for life after graduation. In addition, schools need to provide vocational education as well to qualify students in other forms of jobs as well.