There are many thoughts on this which include:
- “A secondary education should prepare the learner with
opportunities to build self and the nation."
- “Education is seen as the engine of an economy, the
foundation of culture and essential in the preparation of
adult life.”
- Some see it as “the gate opener to university for all
students and that the fundamental aim of teaching is to
enable students to realise the disciplines in which they
have greater abilities so that they can pursue related
careers.”
- Others would argue that education is NOT for the purpose
of a career but should be for the purpose of the enjoyment
of learning and learning all that school can offer….
Heavens! We could go on and on. In my years in the game,
the purpose of secondary education is ALL of the above and
some students like it, some love it, some actually hate it, and
some would say they’re neutral, that is “eh, this is where we
have to be.” I often crack up at that last one – I do give
possible alternatives, but they’re always turned down. Most
students, at the heart of it, would prefer to be in school.
My two cents on this subject. Education is not just about
schooling. It is a process which involves discovery and
learning with an outcome – your understanding (be that right
understanding or wrong understanding) of your own experiences.
So, we are getting an education (informal) all of
time, in our homes, with our friends, with strangers we
encounter etc. Then there is formal learning – school,
university, college, which everyone means when the term
‘education’ is talked about. I will be focusing my thoughts on
predominantly on formal education and with informal education
in the subtext as we all will experience both at some point in
our lives.
So, to continue to answer my own question “What is the
purpose of secondary education?”
It is about you gathering all types of experiences, managing
and interpreting those experiences …. and you using these to
the best of your ability to harness the formal education that you
are led into. I want to walk through with you from the ages
of 14 years +. For me, the formal education – mathematics,
computer science, English, Business, RE and all the others
coupled with life experiences (informal education), should
enable you to have sufficient knowledge and understanding of
how to generate and act on your ideas, how to be an
intrapreneur / entrepreneur to be and continue to be your best
self while you walk this earth. This is your fundamental human
right. So, let’s get started.
References:
Infed, what is education?
http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-education-a-definition-and-discussion
Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP 2015, The purpose of education.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-purpose-of-education