Why Is Education Bad- Education is simply the art of passing knowledge to a set of people or receiving knowledge from someone. Education is in 3 categories: formal , informal and semi-formal. Of a truth, education has a lot of benefits which are obvious around us. However, there are some lapses which makes one feel education is bad.
In the following paragraphs, I will be discussing some of these lapses that makes education bad and how such can be addressed to make education what it is supposed to be.
What Makes Education Bad
1. Many a times, education comes with stress
I remember back in my primary school days, by 2pm school closes and everyone goes home to their parents. There is enough time to eat, rest, do home work and even play. But what do we have in the 21st century? Pupils arriving school as early as 6.30am and leaving at 5.30pm, 6pm sometimes ( about 11 hours!) What are they learning for so long ? The school times itself is filled with lots of academic work and by the child is leaving school late afternoon or evening, he/she goes home with tons of homework.
Where then is the time to rest, play and unwind. Even the holidays mean for rest are packed with activities ranging from summer coaching to holiday projects, etc. The system only gets kids overworked. This I think makes education bad, over-packed school schedules.
2. Learning environment is too rigid
Another factor that makes education bad is rigid learning environment. Students are compelled to do so many things that do not go well with their personality . As a student, you are not allowed to air your opinion, if you do, you get punished . You have to dress in a particular way, style your hair in a certain manner. If you do otherwise, you get punished.
One way I believe to self-discovery in students is enhancing a dynamic environment where you don’t have too much rules. Non-flexible environment thus makes education bad.
3. Poor grading system
Poor grading system makes education bad. The grading system favors some students while some fall victim of the grading system. See what I mean. After students go through 11 rigorous week of learning, they get to face exams in one week. And whatever comes out of that one week will be used to judge such students. I don’t think such system is fair enough.
The truth is students respond to assessment in different ways not necessarily because of brilliancy or lack of it, but personal traits. For instance, there are some students that are very active in class but when exams come, their brain suddenly shuts down and can’t write much down. On the other hand, there are some students that would never say a word in class but once they get hold of exam sheet, they are going to perform excellently well. While some students unfortunately will fall sick at the start of exams and will never recover until exams are over.
So using same grading system for different categories of students with different abilities is unfair and makes education bad.
4. Education can be expensive
Another factor that make education bad is the cost of acquiring education. It can really be capital-intensive. Most especially if you have to go through private schools for your education. You may have to almost pay through your nose. School can come with lots of expenses ranging from tuition to transportation, uniform, books, stationeries, etc.
5. Bad peer pressure
Negative influence from peers is another reason that makes education bad . There have been cases of kids well brought up from good homes but on getting into school turn out bad due to negative influence.
6. Large part of the curriculum is obsolete
A large portion of what is taught in schools is obsolete and sheer waste of time. I remember back then in school, some of the topics in the subjects taught are obsolete and are no longer applicable in our current society. Does it mean that all we go to school for is head-knowledge ( theory). This also makes education bad.
You see industries have to take their new staffs through another schooling before employment called: Graduate trainee programme”. These employers understand that what is being taught in schools is obsolete and so they need to retrain their staffs for them to be relevant to the industry.
7. Educational system is built on some wrong belief systems
The educational system is kind of faulty, assigning ranks to everything. The system makes us believe some jobs/ career are better than others. The system doesn’t allow for creativity , but rather for us to conform to particular paths/ trends. System wants you to think and act in a particular way, this unfortunately can not work for every body. This also makes education bad.
8. Educational system classifies us the same way
The educational system classifies everyone the same way. For instance, if you are struggling with maths or cannot compose some good sentences, it is believed your future is bleak. The system uses: One size fits all approach, this cannot work for everyone. Not everyone will be good in mathematics or languages. Human beings are created uniquely; with unique weakness and strengths.
Some of the great personalities in the world today were school drop-outs whom their teachers already gave up on them.
9. Education does not translate to success in life
Another factor that makes education bad is that education itself does not automatically translate to success in life. Infact, if you look at the biography of some of the leading personalities in the world, some of them don’t even have good education . I remember when I was much younger, my mum used to make a statement which never left me: “ wisdom that comes from education does not equate wisdom needed for right living . This means that being educated does not necessarily mean you will be wise or successful.
Now, How Do We Strike A Balance?
Yes, we cannot totally rule out the fact that education has its own importance. Infact, if I begin to site instances of the inventions and development that has come up in our society as a result of education, this article will run into pages . Yes, it is true that education is good for all but there are some lapses that makes education bad. What do we do to mend these lapses is the big question?
Step 1: School times should be reduced
I mean the number of hours spent in school should be reduced to alleviate the stress on the learners . I don’t see why a child should be kept in school between 7am and 5pm, what are they learning? The brain needs rest and one of the ways to relax the brain is by taking afternoon nap (30 minutes, 1 hour). And if it looks impossible for school times to be reduced, the students should be given ample time for rest and naps in school.
Step 2: Create a dynamic learning environment
School owners should as much as possible make school fun for the students. Let us remove the word; boredom from the school system . Be creative with uniforms, for instance, your students don’t have to wear the same uniform all throughout the week. . There should be days for sports wears and casual wears. Let the school curriculum have some slots for fun and recreational activities. For example, drama, musics, choreopgraphy, sports, skill acquisition are some of the activities that can spice up your curriculum.
Step 3: Use a flexible grading system
Note that each student has his/her own peculiarities. Educators must understand this when grading their students. As an educator, you need to first understand each of your student and use a grading system that would be adaptable.
Step 4: Relevant topics/ subject should dominate the curriculum
Students should be taught relevant topics/ subjects more in school rather than obsolete ones. Its odd after graduation, a student have to still go through another round of learning before being able to work.
Final Word
Poor grading system, stressful schedules, rigid learning environment and peer pressure are some of those factors that makes education bad. If these issues can be properly addressed, then education will become what it is supposed to be. A light!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some of the problems experienced in the education sector?
Corruption
Indiscipline
Inadequate infrastructure
Poor parental guidance
Absence of teaching aids
What are the challenges of education in Nigeria?
Poor learning environment
Inadequate funding
Insufficient classrooms
Absence of basic infrastructures
Insufficient teachers
What are some disadvantages of education?
It can be expensive
Lot of anxiety and stress arise among students as a result of exams and grades
Education could be boring
What does the educational system look like in Nigeria?
The educational system in Nigeria follows a 6-3-3-4 system; 6 years in primary, 3 years in junior secondary school, 3 years in senior secondary school and 4 years in the university.
What are some of the social issues/ challenges in education?
Some of the social challenges in education include peer pressure, gang violence, bullying, negative peer pressure, teenage pregnancy, obesity, child abuse, HIV/ AIDS
References
- www. cuemath. com- The 3 types of education| formal, informal , Non-formal| Advantages
- https: // infoguidenigeria. com- 15 Problems of education in Nigeria and possible solutions
- www. soapboxie. com- 6 Reasons why schools are bad for kids; our educational system is destroying creativity
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