Teachers, students, parents, we want to start a conversation about education!
If you search for Article 26(I) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR- adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948), it will tell you the following:
“Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.”
Seventy years later the world has changed significantly, and one would think that a fundamental (and expected) right for every member of a society would also have changed and developed.
What passes for “education” today still looks different from where it first started, when it was meant to produce (almost literally) docile workers and unquestioning recruits for imperial bureaucracies and military systems. In this series, we want to look at the “teacher” and what that role means today. We want to look at education as being beyond sitting in a classroom.
Too many people (including students and their parents) see education as a passive activity, in which the student is instructed by a teacher, rather than being an active participant. This is completely misguided. While education is a right, it is up to each individual to stretch themselves mentally and to reach for it- hence the title of this post. While the government and the educational bureaucracy may still set the framework and the standards, these tend to be set at the level of a “lowest common denominator”, with not enough opportunities for growth and true learning. This is where we want conversation and engagement.
So, what can you expect from the “Reaching for an Education” series?
- An education is a fundamental human right. The points that will be made, with few exceptions, apply generally. We shall in no way single out Bermuda as in some way unusually defective or lacking. It should never be the plaything of those with an “agenda”. The welfare of each student should be at the heart of it. We want to spark genuine conversation.
- We aim to explore a wide range of topics, that affect education in the wider community.
- We hope to generate questions and debate, including making our readers think about, or re-think beliefs or conclusions.
- We want to inform, because, as always, knowledge is power.
Interested in contributing to the conversation? Email [email protected] with your thoughts.
