Why educate?

  

The Mighty Sparrow ponders on the purpose of education in 1960's T&T

What really is the purpose of education? I don't think that this is something that I've considered. We know that education is important and we are aware that we must pursue it vigorously for a way out, a way up, a way to bridge the gap...etc. However, what really is the purpose? A great place to start when considering this question is with the bodies who control education. 

In his address to the nation of Trinidad and Tobago on the eve of it’s gaining Independence from Great Britain on August 31st, 1962, first Prime Minister of the nation, Dr. Eric Eustace Williams, fired up the audience at the International Youth Rally by declaring to them that they “carry the future of Trinidad and Tobago in your school bags”. He underscored the importance of education for the very young nation.

 Prior to this, the first Education Policy for Trinidad and Tobago was made by Governor Lord Harris in 1834. At that time, the main purpose of education in Trinidad and Tobago was to “unify the diverse racial and cultural elements and political loyalties (without regard to religion) through a state- controlled system of education” (Historical development of education in Trinidad and Tobago, 1962). At that time, our country was highly divided with each group attempting to seek its own interests. Fast forward a few decades, the effects of colonial heritage were still ravaging the land. In 1928, Director of Schools Capt. J.O. Cutteridge championed the mission to create an educational system that recognized us and was for us. He created the West Indian Reader which was specifically designed for the West Indian children. The images and characters were those that we know and could recognise. Many of us still remember Boyo and Carla and how we could see ourselves in the stories we read. This was a direct fruit of Cutteridge's labor.

 The Education Act of 1966 made education free for children from 6 to 12 years old. In 2000, there was the introduction of the Universal Secondary Education (USE) initiative. This mandated that all secondary schools provide free education to its students (Oxford Business Group, 2016). This brings us to modern day Trinidad and Tobago. What is the purpose of education in TT today? Now, the primary aims of education, according to the Ministry of Education's official documents are to educate and develop children who are:  “able to fulfill their full potential;  healthy and growing normally;  academically balanced;  well-adjusted socially and culturally; and  emotionally mature and happy”.  

The American educational system has demonstrated that as the way we exist as a species changes, our needs also change and thus our requirements for our young in terms of survival has also changed. Influences like the manufacturing industry, politics  and philosophical positions have played a major part on where we place emphasis concerning the education of our youth. However, I believe that it is even much more expansive and interconnected than this. Schools in America have danced to different drummers during their long history. The purpose of education shifts with time.

Though the specifics of the purpose of education differ from person to person, organisation to organisation, government to government and is seen in different lights through the lenses of various philosophies, one cannot deny that the foundation of any great nation lies in the content and quality of education that it makes available to its people. Several refrains remain in the conversations surrounding the purpose of education despite the context. “Education is the engine of our economy, it is the foundation of our culture, and it’s an essential preparation for adult life,” stated Former UK Schools Minister, Nicolas John Gibb at the 2015 Education Reform Summit. The effects of an effective or ineffective educational system are far reaching and have implications for the individual and their ability to function, society as a whole and the nation’s future. Both Williams and Gibbs, though speaking 53 years apart, clearly noted the importance of education in any nation that intends to thunder forward to a better future. 

During feudal Japan, special schools were set up for the upper class and children of the samurai. Provincial lords were responsible for the setting up of these. Later, education became more accessible through temple schools ran by Buddhist sects. Education in the Edo period was primarily based on Confucian concepts that emphasized rote learning and study of the Chinese classics. Prior to World War II, education in Japan was focused inward on development of the nation from within with little consideration and trust given to other nations especially in the West. Outside knowledge and education was not encouraged and even viewed as inferior. After World War II, Japan’s survival and ability to recover depended heavily on looking and learning from outward influence. The purpose has shifted from a development of self- only to becoming a useful global contributor.  The system that exists now seeks to contribute to world peace and understanding among all peoples on the Earth.  

Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s website states:

“Education must be provided with the aim of fully developing the individual character, as we endeavor to cultivate a people that is sound in mind and body and imbued with the qualities that are necessary in the people who make up a peaceful and democratic nation and society”

Education is a right. It is necessary that, as educators, we constantly prune our ideas about the purpose of education and critically consider if our current approaches are in line with our beliefs. It is also important to draw on the experiences of other nations.  One of the strongest tenets  is the goal of producing people who never stop learning. Imagine a population of people like this! Just as we never become educated and are constantly learning, the purpose of education is also not static. It is constantly changing- becoming wider, zooming in on specific goals and outcomes, letting go of others. Genuinely, I believe that our nations would benefit immensely from our constant consideration of our beliefs and actions.