Study on the purpose of education in society Essay Example

of the eight Millennium Development Goals and great betterments have been achieved in the past decennary ( Steer and Baudienville 2010 ) . As a consequence, most states now would hold some kind of a Ministry of Education tally by the authorities to order the instruction policies for the state. It is apparent that the universe is seting more focal point into developing its instruction.

Purpose of Education

Education of current coevals passed down to the following coevals

Dieter Lenzen, president of the Freie Universitat Berlin ( 1994 ) , said that `` instruction began either 1000000s of old ages ago or at the terminal of 1770. '' I choose to believe the first, due to the legion historical groundss. Clay tablets with pictural diagrams created by the Sumerian 6,000 old ages ago, or that Egypt had it 's first library more than 4,500 old ages ago made it apparent that the human civilization found ways and means to educate their people. Though each civilization has a different manner to educate, the common intent was to go through on cognition that is indispensable for endurance to the younger coevalss. With the instruction of a coevals, there will be a pool of erudite pedagogues to supply the needful cognition for the following coevals. The development of old cognition will help in the advancement of the society as cognition gets built up for the mention of the undermentioned coevalss. This is a snowballing consequence. One will larn from the old coevals a certain set of cognition. After going competent, one will so be able to utilize this cognition on research and development, ensuing in more edged border cognition and thoughts

to be created.

Economic advantages

Harmonizing to Marxism and the theory of capitalist economy, the development of a state is driven by the economic system mostly. It is due to the cognition of the people that allows the state to bring forth sufficiently for its ain endurance, every bit good as excess production for the income of the state. The basic instruction provides people the base cognition that is needed to back up their acquisition of specific accomplishments. Therefore more educated society may take to more new and advanced methods and innovations to simplify complex procedures that are used to make certain things.

As we can see, one of the most of import factors is human capitalization. Human capitalization is farther enhanced by the quality of the instruction system in the state, since most people who graduated from the school system will come in their states workforce straight. A good instruction, merely put, will let the individual to have a higher wage to do him or herself better off. Not merely that, as he is a 'successful merchandise ' of the system, this individual would of course set more concern into the instruction system by giving more feedback or coming up with methods of betterment so that future coevalss can harvest the benefits.

When conveying this point down to the single degree, instruction allows people to procure occupations in industries like technology, which requires specific accomplishments, so that they can gain a life. Just like what Lao Tzu, a mysterious philosopher of ancient China, and best known as the writer of `` Tao De Jing '' , quoted, `` Give a adult male a fish and you feed him

for a twenty-four hours. Teach him how to angle and you feed him for a life-time. '' From this quotation mark we can deduce that if the people in the society merely invariably rely on authorities grants ( if any ) , they will larn nil and no accomplishments would be and merely go a load to society. However, by turn outing them with the tools indispensable for endurance, he or she would be self-sufficing.

Development of the state economically

With the development of the people 's heads, a state is able to do usage of the aggregation of cognition for its development. Through instruction, we are able to larn from others, such as the betterments made in Singapore due to the engineerings and accomplishments learnt from other developed states. The cognition that one learn from instruction will increase the productiveness of an person. By using their learnt accomplishment in the local houses, they have the ability to keep or even better the house 's production methods and end product. As end product addition, the states ' cyberspace export will besides increase, therefore bring forthing more income for the state. With this excess income, the state will so be able to buy new engineerings and this whole rhythm repetitions once more. Therefore, instruction plays a critical function for the economic growing of the state.

To develop one 's head

Another of import intent of instruction is to develop one 's head. Though instruction does non vouch erudite heads, it does bring forth larning and believing heads, which is the most of import. Education allows the development of originative thought and womb-to-tomb acquisition wonts that are of import in life.

In this extremely competitory society, employees are invariably looking for originative solutions to work out jobs. Multi-National Corporations ( MNCs ) require believing grownups to work in squads and use what was learnt in schools on undertakings that the company is shiping at the minute or in the hereafter. Creativity and teamwork are accomplishments learnt through the procedure of instruction and non from instruction. Through instruction, we are non merely taught the ability to critically analyse and measure every individual job we face, but besides to rapidly come out with a simple yet effectual solution to work out that same job. Education besides teaches the ability to accept and accommodate other people 's thoughts and solutions, hence leting us to happen the most effectual and simple manner to work out jobs. Not merely that, instruction is besides able to make oppugning heads, which are of import. This allows one to be able to critically measure a piece of information by oppugning, alternatively of accepting it sweeping. The importance of instruction is therefore the procedure of development of one 's head. With the cognition given, human is able to believe more and develop ratings of his ain, taking to further development of the head.

Developing moral values of the people

Education is of import as it is a channel for moral values to be imparted and inculcated. Furthermore, it is besides through instruction that national individuality and trueness to the state is being strengthened. Not merely that, Confucius, a Chinese thought and societal philosopher of the Spring Autumn Period besides stressed the importance of instruction for moral development of the person and besides the ability to set the

cognition attained into good usage.

Moral values in pupils are still presently a problematic issue in today 's instruction system. Greek philosopher Aristotle referred good character as cognizing the good, wanting the good and making the good. However, one can be really smart about affairs of right and incorrect but yet still subconsciously take the incorrect. Therefore school 's drama a critical function in learning pupils to do the right determinations at the right clip.

It can be seen that the cognition that people have academically is non plenty to back up the state in the long term. A state without moral values will be corrupted and therefore, get the better ofing the intent of constructing up the economic system as people will non lend back into the society. Education will let the creative activity of people with high moral and ethical values. These people, holding a deep apprehension of the rules and doctrines in life will in bend create a responsible, thoughtful, and healthy society that will be fantastic to populate in.

Deductions to Singapore

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong ( 2005 ) said that `` Singapore was able to turn and transform economically as the authorities has committed to put to a great extent in the instruction system, therefore, leting the human capacity of the state to be enhanced. And this investing will go on to guarantee that the Singapore economic will be competitory. '' Singapore has minimum natural resources, and the authorities knows that its people are the state 's biggest resource. Therefore, the authorities places a batch of focal point on developing the instruction system. This can be seen from the fact that instruction is

one of the sectors that uses a immense per centum of the economic sciences budget every twelvemonth. The purpose of the Singapore 's instruction system is to develop gifted persons who are non merely good in cognition, but besides originative and speculative. Not merely that, the people should be morally unsloped and proud to be a Singaporean. This can be seen from the desired results of instruction, which hopes an person will go:

a confident individual who has a strong sense of right and incorrect, is adaptable and resilient, knows himself, is spoting in judgement, thinks independently and critically, and communicates efficaciously ;

a autonomous scholar who takes duty for his ain acquisition, who inquiries, reflects and perseveres in the chase of acquisition ;

an active subscriber who is able to work efficaciously in squads, exercisings initiative, takes deliberate hazards, is advanced and strives for excellence ; and,

a concerned citizen who is rooted to Singapore, has a strong civic consciousness, is informed, and takes an active function in breaking the lives of others around him.

( Quoted from Desired results of instruction, www.moe.edu.sg/desired-outcomes/ , 2010 )

In response to this demand, the Singapore authorities implemented the undermentioned alterations in the instruction system.

Stressing on twenty-first Century Skills and developing believing head

Since 1998, the Ministry of Education ( MOE ) has started a series of decrease in the course of study so that instructors can concentrate less on course of study and pass more clip fostering believing accomplishments and presenting national instruction messages for the pupils. At the same clip, Extra-Curricular Activities ( ECA ) was besides changed to Co-Curricular Activities ( CCA ) as MOE saw an importance of developing character

edifice. Therefore, the instruction system in Singapore has changed in focal point from go throughing down cognition to developing pupils holistically.

The recent theoretical account of learning released by MOE, the Teacher Education 21 ( TE21 ) ( 2010 ) further emphasises the demand for our pupils to hold twenty-first Century Skills, which are:

Civic literacy, planetary consciousness and cross-cultural accomplishments

Critical and imaginative thought

Information and communicating accomplishments

( Quoted from MOE to Enhanced acquisition of twenty-first Century Competencies and Strengthen Art, Music and Physical Education, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2010/03/moe-to-enhance-learning-of-21s.php, 2010 )

Not merely that, there is besides a demand for pupils to hold societal and emotional competences, so that they can `` recognize and pull off their emotions, develop attention and concern for others, do responsible determinations, set up positive relationships, every bit good as to manage ambitious state of affairss effectively. `` ( MOE 2010 ) .

In order to last in today 's society, womb-to-tomb accomplishments are every bit of import after holding obtained rational cognition. Therefore, most schools and instructors are utilizing Socrates method of learning to educate our pupils. A classical Greek Athenian 's Philosopher, Socrates ' method of instruction is to ease and non learn, by inquiring back believing inquiries when the pupil raises a inquiry, alternatively of merely stating them the replies. This is to let the pupils to be able to come out with their ain solution to their ain jobs, and therefore develop believing heads.

It is now common to see that schools are utilizing the Problem-Based Learning attack ( PBL ) . PBL larning began 34 old ages ago at McMaster University Medical School. ( MCLI, 2001 ) The manner PBL works

is that pupils are given a job that they need to work out. These inquiries are triggers for larning in the several Fieldss and pupils are normally given existent life instances. They will so necessitate to name the jobs, conduct their ain research and come out with originative solutions. In the PBL scene, the pupils have the biggest duty in make up one's minding what they learn, with instructors being facilitators instead than lectors, to steer the pupils ' larning procedure.

The beauty of PBL is that the pupils are non spoon-fed with cognition and solutions. Alternatively they can utilize their ain ways to find which content is relevant to work out the job. Hence, larning is much more active as they would besides larn how to use what they learn alternatively of merely larning for the interest of making so.

By developing our pupils this manner, they are able to get life accomplishments that are of import to them. As said above, the ability for our pupils to develop believing heads that are needed when they graduate from school and measure in to the new globalised, fast altering society. With PBL and TE21, schools are non merely supplying pupils with the sufficient cognition to work out jobs, but besides the tools to work out the job. Students, now equipped with these twenty-first Century accomplishments are now able to work more efficaciously and therefore increase economic productiveness for the state.

Creation of new universities as a Centre of larning and research

In recent old ages, Singapore established new universities like Singapore Management University ( SMU ) . Private universities like Singapore Institute of Management ( SIM ) and Management

Development Institute of Singapore ( MDIS ) are besides created to offer local pupils distant acquisition grades. These schools offer grades from good universities like University of London ( UOL ) and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology ( RMIT ) . Singapore besides plans to open a 4th local university in 2011. Dr Tony Tan ( 2009 ) , president of the International Academic Advisory Panel ( IAAP ) stated that the university offers pupils with `` a genuinely enriching larning experience that would fit them good to run into the complex demands of a globalised knowledge-based economic system. '' This links back to my first point where `` Education of current coevals passed down to the following coevals '' . The gap of these new universities allows our citizens to fit themselves with of import cognition. At these universities, pupils learn from people who excel in their countries of surveies. Furthermore, these universities besides provide a locale with top notched installations where pupils, upon graduation, can take to remain on for their independent research and surveies. Therefore, the universities non merely move as topographic points where cognition can be imparted, but besides a locale where new cognition is created.

Developing Morally Upright Students

There is ever a large focal point on civics and moral instruction in our school systems. This lesson is now being given more focal point in TE21. TE21 stresses that values is the nucleus pillar with cognition and accomplishments are developed around it. Therefore, this underlines the importance of values in the Singapore 's instruction system.

Cochran-Smith et Al ( 2010 ) mentioned that instructors can get down by utilizing moral quandary or scenario

instance surveies to light the moral thought within each kid. Having unfastened treatments as a category would besides assist them.

In position of developing believing heads and morally unsloped pupils, it is now common to see instructors utilizing believing scenarios and moral quandaries like the Kohlberg 's ( 1958 ) moral quandary. Khloberg quandary usage a series of dilemma scenarios to raise pupils believing on their actions if they are placed in similar state of affairss. From at that place, instructors are able to track the growing of pupils morally and steer them if needed excessively.

Singapore 's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hien said, `` Of what usage is the instruction system if it produces smart criminals or selfish individualist who feel no duty to society, or trueness to state? Education must permeate the following coevals with the right value system. Through values instruction, we must develop future citizens with unsloped character who can lend to their community. We must besides instill in our immature a deep sense of adhering to the state, so that they will be prepared to remain and contend in footings of hardship. '' Through instruction, Singapore hopes that its pupils will be morally unsloped persons who will lend back to his place state.

Teachers

Therefore, learning is more than a occupation, or instead, a naming. As stated in the MOE web site ( 2010 ) instructors are required to `` do kids excited with the admirations of scientific discipline and the stateliness of mathematics, and do them fall frantically in love with the beauty of the humanistic disciplines and the humanistic disciplines. Therefore doing schools the topographic

point where pupils can detect their endowments, and aspire to greater highs. ''

The occupation of instructors is simple, yet hard to accomplish. To set it merely, the instructors are the street lamps, there to steer pupils along the way of developing and discovering of themselves. Teachers assist in puting the foundation rock for all other professions. Teachers are developing immature whom will be the pillars of society in future. Therefore, non merely must instructors be to associate what they teach to the hereafter, they must be able to authorise their pupils with accomplishments that are relevant in society.

Decision

The content of instruction is ever altering, due to the fact that it has a direct relation to the society. This implies that pedagogues need to be relevant in footings of content that they are traveling to leave to pupils. Although the content is different, the intent of instruction does non alter. The intent of instruction is still larning and developing of a individual. Just like the parts of the auto, we can non pin-point which is the most of import auto portion. Every individual portion of the auto needs to work together in order to transport a individual to another location. Just like the auto, instruction plants in the same manner. Every individual point mentioned above is every bit of import. Every person, when Born, is a natural treasure. Education is therefore the procedure where an person will travel through transmutation to go a polished treasure ; one that is knowing, thought, holistic and morally unsloped and able to convey in gross for him and the state.

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