“Education does not develop individuality but conformity.” Do you agree?
Education, the act of imparting the knowledge, skills, and habits into a group of people, is close to our hearts at the earlier stages in life. It is a crucial part in our lives, not to be taken lightly, and of course, plays a major role in deciding what we become. The concept of an education system came with the aim of equipping students with the necessary skills to fill the jobs in society to make the country more productive. Education systems vary greatly in style and administration in different countries. Some countries advocate liberal education, whereas others advocate functionalist education. Therefore, to say that Education develops either individuality or conformity is silly since it does not specify which education system it is referring to. This statement stands for functionalist education systems like that of Singapore’s. In the past, our society has been modelled such a way that uniqueness and individuality is greatly frowned upon. Everyone wanted to be a part of the larger group and no one wanted to be “different from the rest”, or the “odd one out”. However, as we progress, we realize that somehow individuality is important as well, as everyone is different from everyone, and more emphasis is being placed on individuality. But the question is, has the education system managed to keep up with the changes? The answer is an obvious no. Singapore’s education system is one that is highly instrumental, regimented, competitive and highly performance-orientated. Because of the meritocratic nature of Singapore’s society, education has become less about developing individuals and more about achievements and grades, which inevitably compels people to avert from “the less taken route”. Though this is true for most of the Asian countries, the statement does not stand for the British liberal education. In Britain, education encourages the open discussion of topics throughout all levels of education. It is based on the medieval concept of the liberal arts,