At the start of September every year, newspapers begin to publish a salvo of articles bemoaning the death of education: high school students are dropping out; college graduates cannot find work; students are disinterested and unmotivated. Every year, legislative bodies attempt reforms, and every year, the bemoaning continues. The problems with the education system today
Tight public finances or otherwise, uniform subsidies are not the answer
During class X (grade ten), considered the most crucial year of an Indian student’s academic life, we were feverishly revising for our annual exams. During the final preparations, I noticed one of our classmates merrily doodling in her notebook. She seemed least inclined to study. “Don’t you want to revise? Aren’t you scared of bad
Too Theoretical, less Practical
Dictionary.com defines the adjective “theoretical” as being concerned with or involving the theory of a subject or area of study rather than its practical application. In other words, this means there is a presence of abstract terms, hypotheses and speculations. On the other hand, “practical” refers to that which is actually done. Unfortunately, education in
Subsidies for higher education: should or not?
For many individual students preparing to graduate from high school, wondering whether or not they should pursue a higher education at a university or other learning institute is an issue that weighs heavily on their minds. It is a very difficult decision that depends on many different factors, such as the individual’s personal goals. Some
Immortal: The Endurance of Story-Telling
These are the enduring stories, waning, waxing with the ages but never quite forgotten, almost-memories shared by a collective human consciousness. Presently, there exist millions of beautiful Cinderellas, Cendrillons, Cenerentolas, coloured by idle or active imaginations, unique yet similar, bound together by the familiar tale. But there are elements of the story which have been
Why Do Grown-Ups Read Fairy Tales
INTRODUCTION In this article, I am going to write about why I think grownups read fairy tales. First of all, I will define what a fairy tale is; then I will raise hypothesis as to why grownups read fairy tales such as do fairy tales help grownups to disconnect from this world? Do fairy tales
True Education is the Following of a Passion
In a classroom consisting of 37 wooden chairs and tables, a typical public school student in South Korea is allowed 3.3 meter square of space if he is lucky. When he first enters the classroom, he faces a decision of choosing which ‘society’ he wants to belong to. The first society would be the two
One thing I would change to improve education in my country and why
Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction especially at a school or university. Education in my country Nigeria is valued and highly cherished mainly because of the end product which is securing a job and having good earnings. If I had the opportunity to change one thing to improve the standard of
If there was one thing you could change to improve education in your country…
Not everyone can be top! Those who excel at exams and tests in secondary school can be rightly proud of their achievements but where does that leave those who are not in the top 5% of the class? The effect of the current emphasis on assessment has led to the majority of students “failing” in
If there was one thing you could change to improve education in your country…
The Singapore miracle – the story of how a Third World backwater transformed into a world-class state at startling speed – is a familiar narrative to its citizens. Those old enough lived through and witnessed this magical metamorphosis. Those too young simply learn about it second hand through social studies lessons, during which they are
If there was one thing you could change to improve education in your country…
Seeing as I currently reside in Greece, most people might have thought that I’d prefer to discuss the aspect of finances in relation to education here, rather than what I would change in the educational system. Although I call myself a man of a world and have lived here and there and so on, I
Investing in Philippine Public Education System: Reforming the Mindset
I grew up in a far-flung community of Cabitan, a small barrio in the municipality of Mandaon, province of Masbate, Philippines. It was in the 1990s when I first stepped onto the school grounds where I, as a child innocent to the realities of life, would walk more than two kilometers to attend schooling in
What would I change about education?
The one thing I would change about education is to abolish all single gender schools and only authorize mixed schools to enable both male and female students to work together within the same setting. This would prepare them for future employment, as they will be working with both male and female members of staff. Students
In an era of tight public finances, should students be entitled to subsidised higher education no matter what they choose to study?
Subsidised? NO. Make it Free! “Nonsense!” “Not value for money!” “Other more worthy causes!” “Waste of Taxpayers money!” And a host of other retorts are probably flowing onto irate blogs in response. But hang on. Surely education is a birthright for all no matter what their background or sex and so is the right to
Underfunding, the bane of development of education in Nigeria
INTRODUCTION Right from the inception of the world, education has played a major role in the development and liberation of the human race, like a popular quote by Nelson Mandela, which says that “education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world”. The word “EDUCATION” which is derived from a
Myths, legends and fantasies: why do we read them, why do we watch them?
Fantasy is ancient. Everyone in the world has experienced it, and as long as humanity exists, they will continue to experience it. Our entire culture is defined by dreamers, by people who hope and deliberate until they produce something – anything. And how do these people, these artists, dream of the unreal? Well, fantasy begins
The mindset
Context: On a certain occasion, I was to travel from Abakaliki to Ishiagu. Both locations are in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Somehow, a family member offered to give me a ride: from Abakaliki to my destination. The journey was a smooth one, without any hitch. We travelled in a Mercedes Benz car, model 200. I was
“To be or not to be…” Is that what school is about?
Definition First of all, to make sure that we are all on the same page here, I shall give my definition of the phrase, “To be or not to be”, based on how it went on in the beginning of a soliloquy in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The phrase here is of Prince Hamlet contemplating whether
Myths, Legends and Fantasies: why do we read them, why do we watch them?
Myths, legend, fantasies are interrelated. Myths and legends are symbolic representations of reality. Legend usually encompasses myths and fantasies. They contain strong wisdom that humans experience. Legends generally have a hero, or a heroine, and contain some truth or historic fact. It may also contain fantasy places or fantasy monster. Examples of legendary stories are
In an era of tight public finances, should students be entitled to subsidized higher education no matter what they choose to study?
Long-live the freedom of choice. “It is by choice and not by chance that we change our circumstances.” — Nadia Sahari, Breakaway: How I Survived Abuse The question that follows would be: the type of education from which the students could choose from? Or how do we decide which education is more valuable than the