Education does not develop individuality but conformity Essay Example

less taken route”.

Though this is true for most of the Asian countries, the statement does not stand for the British liberal education. In Britain, education encourages the open discussion of topics throughout all levels of education. It is based on the medieval concept of the liberal arts, which has been described as “a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a stronger sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than a specific course or field of study.”.

This system is flexible with school schedules and timetables, has no fixed syllabus to be taught, and students are allowed to study whatever subject they choose. Also, there are minimal restrictions in trivial matters such as hair length, attire and appearance since it is deemed as irrelevant in determining the quality of grades. All the above measure help to form a conducive environment for nurturing the creativity in a students, which requires ample room for individual experimentation.

Though some may say that education systems such as Singapore’s are under-going change, but the “change” that has been happening for years has not managed to change anything. Students of the education system are still forced to comply with a set of rules and regulations, forced to wear the same thing as what some few thousand other students are wearing, forced to believe in the same values, and the list goes on. The idea of rules is central to all forms of education – people need rules to teach them the limits of what they can and cannot

do.

However, as are most things in society, rules are double-edged swords. While it protects people from others, it also limits the areas of interest because people avert from testing boundaries, making them conform to what the government or society deems as “safe”. Ultimately, while some education systems develops individuality, there are also some out there which do not. Education cannot be generalized and compared just like that as it is unjust and unfair to do so.