What is the purpose of education?

 

Defining the purpose of education in less than 500 words may seem like an easy task but, as I sit here gazing at my almost blank computer screen looking for inspiration, I have come to the realisation that it much easier to define what the purpose of education is not! But even then I am destined to take the high moral ground and try to make myself sound like the perfect little teacher and declare “it certainly isn’t about exam results anyway”.

Knowing how wonderful I now am, I begin to get a warm feeling inside. But it isn’t lasting long and the warmth inside is now being slowly replaced with disquiet. Because to say that teachers have no responsibility in ensuring their pupils succeed in state examinations is inaccurate. For our pupils to progress to third level education and, particularly in the current state of the Irish (and world) economy, to give them a greater chance of obtaining suitable employment, our pupils must ensure success in these examinations. In a sense they are bound by the system and, ultimately, so are we.

But of course the purpose of education is not wholly about exam success, despite how the media may represent it. It is above all else about inspiring and empowering our pupils. It is about giving our pupils the skills they need to succeed in the working work, in society and further education. It is about creating an environment for successful personal, behavioural, emotional and intellectual development. It’s about creating an atmosphere which allows young people to become self aware, socially aware and form mature relationships with both their peers and the adults in their lives. It is about letting young minds discover what inspires them, what their passion is, and to give them the confidence to explore that passion further. A pupil may fail state examinations but may succeed in becoming a balanced, self aware, mature, socially conscious member of society. We all know pupils like this, indeed I know family members like this. The system failed them but their teachers did not.

The true purpose of education is ambiguous to say the least, but there is certainly a differential in how the state assesses educational achievement and how teachers do. Do educational administrators care little for personal development and more about academic standards? Do teachers care about academic standards too or do they see the bigger picture? Are teachers the human side of the education system? What do you remember from your time in education, your exam results or the people you interacted with? I honestly couldn’t tell you about how I did in the leaving certificate history exam but I can tell you about the advice and support my history teacher gave me, how I still heed that advice and how I now pass it on to my pupils.

Whatever the true purpose of education, passionate teachers are needed to achieve that purpose.

#496 Words - For more from the #purpos/ed debate visit: http://purposed.org.uk/campaigns/500-words/