In the past, well before formal schooling became prominent, families prepared their children to navigate the challenges of life. The curriculum mirrored aspects of today's education: understanding of, the local environment, connections with neighboring communities, and essential survival skills like hunting and gathering.
Today, formal education still serves this fundamental purpose. It teaches practical survival skills alongside social intelligence that promotes the endurance of humanity as a cohesive unit. However, this context has shifted from localized survival to global awareness.
Modern challenges such as resource scarcity, ethical erosion, and cultural identity loss permeate our world. Who is to blame? Is it the contemporary education system or it’s the family, and cultural establishments that hold the moral compass?
Over time, the responsibility of nurturing children has gradually shifted from families to formal Learning Institutions. Interestingly, this shift has occurred with marginal observation by the masses.
One wonders; Is society still content with the contemporary graduates of formal learning establishments? Some educators question, whether families should continue to load schools with the child nurturing responsibility originally meant to be shouldered by parents.
Blaming all societal problems on educational institutions is overly simplistic. Schools have contributed significantly to the advancement of society. Their impact can be seen in medical breakthroughs, technological innovation, and economic progress.
Yet, it is worth acknowledging that entrusting entire educational responsibility to schools hampers their capacity to perform. Educational establishments are not the primary guardians of moral values that underpin ethical decisions and behaviors. This duty historically falls upon cultural and religious institutions, with the family at the front line!
Indeed, schools excel in imparting practical skills essential for navigating the modern world. However, families bear the responsibility of guiding their children in applying these skills cautiously. Families should accept the blame for actions chosen by their educated offspring.
Should families falter in this role, the potential outcomes of highly educated individuals may remain questionable. The truth is, when parenting fails, families fail. When families fail, schools and religious institutions fail. When those institutions fail, communities, societies, governments, and countries don't just fail; they fail miserably.
Let us honor the enduring values that families have traditionally championed while embracing the transformative potential of modern educational institutions. By doing so, we pave the way for a future in which educated minds are equipped to thrive and guided by a profound sense of responsibility towards humanity and the planet we share.
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