What's the purpose of education? 46 replies

What is the purpose of education? Is it to instill values to the students? Is it to train people to perform specific tasks and jobs? Is it to make the students jump through mental hoops that, while not applicable to a specific job, demonstrate the general ability to think and learn? Is it all of those, none of those? What is it?

The primary goal of pre-college level schooling should be to teach the basics (basic math, reading, writing) while also creating an environment for students to socially develop. The primary goal of College/University should be to teach students higher level thinking, not to just cram them with data. And finally there are trade schools that teach a very specific trade.

So the answer is all of the abov,e depending upon which school you go to. The problem with education today is everyone thinks they need a college degree when really more people should be learning trades.

Professor Dr. Scientist;4922580What is the purpose of education? Is it to instill values to the students? Is it to train people to perform specific tasks and jobs? Is it to make the students jump through mental hoops that, while not applicable to a specific job, demonstrate the general ability to think and learn? Is it all of those, none of those? What is it?

The purpose of an education is relative to the perspective of the observer. You might take your education in order to get a good job, I might send you to get an education just to get you out of my way. Purpose depends what you're using a thing for, not what it is.

What is education? Education is a system that keeps people down under the guise of teaching them useful skills and general intelligence; to a certain extent it has to perform the latter two tasks, but it does so in displays of dazzling incompetence that can only be attributed to gross stupidity or intentional malice.

The purpose of education is to give students all the necessary skills to pass a state-adminstered test and teach them to obey authority.

Oh wait...sorry, I was rambling and thinking of something else. No, actually, that's what it has become, to be honest.

It should be to educate everyone on needed skills and to broaden their knowledge so that they know things outside of basic, rudementary math, reading, and writing skills. The fact that we are cutting out art class, technology classes, and all the other non-essential core classes just backs up the idea that the education system is being geared towards passing tests.

One of education's purposes is to enlighten people and to keep them aware so that they are not taken advantage of. And it's also there to teach people how the world around them works and how to build, cook, exercise, read, count, etc.

…so you don’t grow up and become a stupid-ass redneck or ghetto rat, that’s why.

AlDaja;4922807…so you don’t grow up and become a stupid-ass redneck or ghetto rat, that’s why.

That.

Professor Dr. Scientist;4922580What is the purpose of education? Is it to instill values to the students? Is it to train people to perform specific tasks and jobs? Is it to make the students jump through mental hoops that, while not applicable to a specific job, demonstrate the general ability to think and learn? Is it all of those, none of those? What is it?

General education is to teach you basic need to know about the world around you. Colleges and trade schools teach specific skills.

But general education is fucked up by teachers unions crying in the "interest of the kids *bullshit*", and colleges are full of liberal hippie douche professors who introduce their politics into the classes.

The primary goal of pre-college level schooling should be to teach the basics (basic math, reading, writing)

Then pre-college education is completely useless. In a maths context, my dad taught me enough maths in about a year before Primary school to last me to about Year 10.

The fact that we are cutting out art class, technology classes, and all the other non-essential core classes just backs up the idea that the education system is being geared towards passing tests.

I really hated tech classes, and art classes. But I do honestly miss PE. I sort of disliked it up until Year 10, but from Year 11 onwards, when we didn't have it anymore, it sort of felt like a huge gap in my high school life.

What is education? Education is a system that keeps people down under the guise of teaching them useful skills and general intelligence; to a certain extent it has to perform the latter two tasks, but it does so in displays of dazzling incompetence that can only be attributed to gross stupidity or intentional malice.

If offered a choice, I would still have gone to high school and I would still go to University. I find the degree I take challenging, stimulating, and very interesting, though I could do without the exams... =p

And I don't know about high school teaching useful skills, the total sum of the knowledge and skills I gained in High school I could probably have learned in two years. And do you teach intelligence, or do you develop it?

Ronald_Jesch;4922794One of education's purposes is to enlighten people and to keep them aware so that they are not taken advantage of. And it's also there to teach people how the world around them works and how to build, cook, exercise, read, count, etc.

Quite the opposite. This is what education should be, but if you refer to public education; it is in itself a way of taking advantage of people. Though the definition of "taking advantage" in this context can vary greatly from person to person, it generally means to exploit ignorance in order to manipulate someone into doing your will.

Assuming this definition correct, telling a 5 year old that it is in his/her best interest to attend school is taking advantage of them, regardless of if it is true or not.

I believe education should be a personal responsibility to learn whatever the individual wants. I also believe it should be a personal responsibility to want to learn everything one can.