The Future of Education

During their educational journey, students have different perspectives of what this voyage consists of and where it will lead them to. Nevertheless, many are those who live this process like on a conveyor belt which takes them towards a destination which is not necessarily as desired by them despite the fact that they keep moving forward. This is certainly a very sad situation especially when parents are part of their son’s/daughter’s educational journey and do not encourage and listen to the students’ voices and their ideas in order to build a trajectory of their own – almost a tailor-made educational experience. However, before asking questions and expecting answers, one ought to decipher how much parents and students alike consider themselves the owners of their own educational journey and whether they feel free enough to speak up and portray their opinion on their education. This reflective attitude should also include the parents’/guardians’ attitude towards the students’ experience and whether the former allow the latter to walk through paths which may seem unheard of or even leading to fruitless trajectories. This argument goes farther than the class or school environment in general. The deliberation between different possibilities unimpededly is a philosophical issue which is more concerned on the freedom and liberty of the individual rather than the institution (be it the class or the school). The class or school environment should be scaffolded upon the individuals’ personal perception of freedom within the system. Students and parents perceive freedom from different points of view within the context of formal education. Both sides may or may not think they are in control of the educational journey and whether the choices made are in fact the result of their decision. This reflects their opinion within an educational system which dictates a menu of choices.

Keywords: Freedom in Education, Trajectories, Choice, Parent involvement, Ownership. 

References:

• Rorty, R. (1994). Does Academic Freedom Have Philosophical Presuppositions?. Academe, [online] 80(6), p.52. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40251372 [Accessed 03 May 2021].
• Wain, K. (2008). The Future of Education ... and its Philosophy. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 27(2-3), pp.103-114.
• Rancière, J. (1991). The Ignorant Schoolmaster: Five lessons in Intellectual Emancipation (K.Ross, Trans.) (Standford, Stanford University Press).