What if everyone were told to live in a society where we talked, wrote and worked the same way? What if every student’s accomplishments and successes were compressed into numbers, figures and statistics? What if schools were killing creativity? I am here to address a significant issue and I speak for many as I'm afraid to tell you that this is the harsh reality that the older generations have failed to treat. Schools are unfortunately now orientated towards a curriculum that will not help teenagers in the long run. The youth of today are mechanically trained to write in specific cursive fonts. The youth of today are taught to obey and are robotically engineered into the same, simple cyborgs schools are creating. The youth of today are suffering and are unable to release their creative capabilities and learn about the world around them unless we do something about it.
The Oxford definition for school: ‘An institution for educating children.’ Are schools really living up to their definition? Are they educating teenagers on what will actually help them? Schools should be organisations where students can learn about the enigmatic experiences that shook the planet of its ingenious explorations. However, students spend, the majority of their time in school, learning how to gain full marks on their exam papers perfectly and preparing to attain the highest grades for what; to repeat the cycle again and again.
The classroom is shaped by the requirement to prepare for examinations. Instead of being greeted with open-ended discussions, students are stuck with learning ‘what they need to know’ to succeed in a future assessment. The school system has forced students into being punished with exam syllabuses and ‘model answers’ instead of being greeted with open spaces for free enquiry. The classroom of today resembles a military training ground in which students are drilled to produce perfect answers. 87% of lecturers said that they thought that too much ‘teaching to the test’ was a major factor contributing to school students being underprepared for study at university. This raises the question of; are exams really helping? Is this really education, or is it just a prison in disguise?
It has also come to many people’s attention that the creative subjects such as Drama, Art and Music are being disregarded by the school system. More time and resources are spent on subjects like Maths and English. This forces students that can excel in the more creative and adventurous subjects to learn about the repetitive cultures that are propelled against their will. The creative subjects that stimulate brain activity, boost confidence and explore curiosity are being neglected and trampled on. The creative subjects are integral and vital for the growth of creative potential amongst a young person’s mind. It enables young people to venture into their dreams and ambitions much more than other subjects yet the school system is trying there hardest to get rid of them.
The definition of school has revealed that the institution is to educate the youth yet many like me are still unsure how bills, rent, and voting works. Students are able to detail how all cells function and how an ox-bow lake is formed but simply cannot unable to recite the laws of their country. Abstract maths and Shakespeare’s classics are favoured over learning about current events and our very own human rights. The majority of time in school is spent rehearsing unnecessary details that prevent us from furthering proper knowledge. This goes to show how the school system is not helping our future causes and problems. If a friend or a close family member is suffering and needs help due to a deadly mental state, kids are still unable to help them because school wasn’t able to teach them how. Imagine all children were taught to carry basic first aid, offer advice to victims of depression and were able to educate others on health and nutrition. The list goes on. Schools are not prioritising the necessities that should be the most important. Schools are continuing to disappoint the future leaders of tomorrow. Schools have failed the youth by not educating us on basic and obvious needs.
The entire takeaway I'd like readers to consume is that students do enjoy learning about the vast majority of subjects given but we need to ask ourselves if this should be the priority. Should a chunk of primary school be dedicated to solve these issues? Do we erase entire subjects off the curriculum? This is only the start to a gigantic conversation.
-Mohammed Rebut Kamal.
