The Purpose of
the Education: Discussion
Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa,
Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan
History is evident that thousands of
years ago, the purpose of education was considerably the matters of producing
skillful workers out of children, be it in the field of agriculture or any
other work in preparation for them attaining adulthood. But, it was never
successful. Later, due to many reasons, it took its shape to fulfill some
religious purposes and secularism in which Education was taken into
consideration as inculcation (Huston, 2008). In some regions, due to the advent
of urbanization and the progress of the automated industries, child labor
drastically declined and the need to educate every child was felt. Education
gradually took its shape when Martin Luther declared the emergence of reading
skills in attaining salvation through the bible. It was only in the 17th
century that the first ever schooling was mandated in Massachusetts to produce
every child as Puritans and to read the simplified bible (Huston, 2008). With
the progress in time, the first-ever traditional education moment was started by
colonists to educate the people in the churches and the families in the
community with the rudiments of literacy and arithmetic in English (Cremin,
1970). Later, John Dewey, an American Scholar, and a leader of the progressive
moment in education in America changed the phase of education in the first half
of the twentieth century. Thus, with the change of time, the purpose of
education evolved based on the needs of society and the situation and demands
of the situation. (Salon, 2012).
While examining the general purpose of
education, unlike the history with the purpose of education to prepare children
to acquire religious doctrine, it has the purpose of preparing them to exist in
the situation that they live with, the democracy where they experience, and to
cope up with the needs and challenges of the 21st-century workplace
(Salon, 2012). The purpose of education at present has become a kind of the
brain of our economy, the strong foundations of our culture and traditions, and
the wholesome preparation of an individual toward meaningful adulthood (Gibb,
2015). Moreover, the challenges to prepare them as an informed citizen,
securing a good job to fulfill their career goal, being critical to meet the
challenges for success, and boosting their moral character are means to achieve
the very purpose of education.
According to Fernando Reimers, the
school curriculum frameworks that are expanding with the change in time
distinctively focus on the social and emotional well-being of a child not
simply to excel in their competencies in academics. The purpose of education
now is more focused on the character building of a child to be a responsible
citizen and a person, creating self-awareness and self-regulation among the
children to be informed citizens and an independent person, a person of peace
with tolerance and with vibrant leadership skills to fulfill the social or
economic goals of the nation (Reimers, 2017). Martin Luther King, Jr, in his
paper, discussed that the purpose of education should be to provide true
education. By true education, he meant that simply possessing intelligence is
not enough, intelligence with character is an essential part of life (Luther,
1947). In a nutshell, it is understood that the general purpose of education is
not simply about teaching the learners to read, write, speak, and listen, but
it is about transforming them into a productive and valuable citizen and a
person.
Subsequently, talking about my
country, Bhutan, monastic education was the only form of education that existed
until the introduction of modern education in 1961 that focused on meeting the
social, economic, and spiritual needs of the nation for centuries through
acquiring knowledge, skills, and values (Ministry of Education, 2018). The
purpose of education since monastic education before the introduction of modern
education in Bhutan was concentrated on the philosophy we adopt today of
transforming the learners. Bhutan being the isolated country between the giant
India and China had always focused on its principal roles through education in
the area of cultural, political, environmental, and socio-economic development
of the country, although in the absence of modern education. After the opening
of the formal schools in Bhutan, It was the influences from the Indian
Education system with the coming up of many Indian teachers to Bhutan and the
Canadian influences with the coming up of Late Father William Mackey in 1963.
Bhutan started modern education in Bhutan with foreign teachers to infuse
literacy, professional skills, pleasure, duty, liberation, and transcendental
wisdom for human goals (Tobgay, n.d.). Until then, the primary purpose of
education in Bhutan was in character building, Civic Duties and Social
Upliftment, Value Based Education, Discipline and Education, Excellence and
Past Performance, Quality of Teachers, Culture and Education. Gradually Bhutan
marched into the infusion of Gross National Happiness in the education process
for the holistic development of every learner with the emphasis on Green School
initiatives blended with cultural aspects such as culture, economy, social
welfare, and education (Ratna, 2019). Presently, the introduction of the New
Normal Curriculum changed the face of the purpose of education from the wholesome
transformation of learners through independence in a plebiscite. The Bhutanese
curriculum at present adopts the Singaporean, Canadian, and European curricula
to meet the needs of the learners for the preparation of life ahead through
classroom teaching to research learning, from teacher-centered to child-centered,
from accountancy to entrepreneurship with values for life with focuses to
enhance access, quality and equity in education for wholesome transformation,
preparing and nurturing citizens with values, skills and knowledge for the
twenty-first century to meet the country’s unique values, traditions, culture
and aspirations (Ministry of Education, 2018). Over and above, it is observed
that Bhutan is aligned with the purpose of education in the world in
transforming today’s learners to be quality citizens through the transformation
of self.
The world is changing rapidly and
digital technology is ruling over it, the purpose of education should be based
on the demands of the 21st century. It should be something that must
train them to be quick like the computer, resolute characterized by firmness
and determination, and creative and effective thinkers who are more efficient
so that they can achieve the legitimate goals of their life (Luther, 1947).
Reference
Cremin,
Lawrence A. (1974). American Education: The Colonial Experience,
1607–1783. (1970). Retrieved June, 19,
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Sloan, W. M. (2012). What
Is the Purpose of Education? Retrieved June,
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GOV.UK. (2015, July 9). The purpose of education. Retrieved March 04, 2018, from https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-purpose-of-education
Reimers, F. (2017, August 03). Rediscovering the cosmopolitan moral purpose of education.
Retrieved February 22, 2018, from https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/rediscovering-the-cosmopolitan-moral-purpose-of-education/
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Jr . (1947.). The purpose of education.
Retrieved February 28, 2018, from http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/document_images/Vol01Scans/123_Jan-Feb1947_The%20Purpose%20of%20Education.pdf
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Policy. Retrieved June, 19, 2021, from https://www.gnhc.gov.bt/en/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/National-Education-Policy-v13.pdf
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Retrieved
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