Do you believe our education system yielding the benefits that it was primarily meant to? This question frequently pops up in our minds. A decade back, the most important thing for a parent was to see their children get a college degree, which meant they had reached the pinnacle of success. But is this true in today’s diverse world? Especially in the current economic scenario where entrepreneurship is on the rise.
Let’s look at this issue from different angles. First, we will discuss what a sound education system should look like. Then we will compare it with the existing education system. Finally, we will conclude whether our education system is hurting the entrepreneurship culture?
Characteristics of a Good Education System
When we look from a nation’s perspective, a sound education system must build individuals who should be contributors to society’s welfare. They should be morally, ethically, and emotionally be strong to withstand the challenges they expect to face.
The kind of contributions that they should be able to make to society include financial gains. The monetary status of a nation undoubtedly reflects its well-being. If they can contribute positively to the community by providing unmatched products or services, their education has been a success. Their inner entrepreneur should have the opportunity to refine his or her talent.
Thus the key focus of a sound education system should be teaching students ‘How to learn’ instead of what to learn. Schools should adopt a culture of innovation and change. They should look around themselves with an observant eye and grab the opportunity for prosperity.
A sound education system must focus on identifying its students’ critical competency and expanding their expertise in that particular skill.
Current Education System:
Now that we know what a sound education system is. Let’s analyze the status of the current education system in the world.
Controlled Learning
The education system of today attempts to control the way the learners think. Schools are not preparing students to become independent learners. The education system is instilling in students that tedious assignments are more important than pursuing their passions.
The education system forces students to follow a predetermined and structured curriculum that will not meet their individual needs and interests.
Killing Our Creativity
One of the shortcomings of the current schooling system is that it continually kills its learners’ creativity, eventually draining them of all imagination.
Imagination empowers us with the ability to foresee our future and reshape our lives. We live in an ever-shifting world, and the success criteria of the last decade do not hold good today.
Educational Inequality
Educational inequality is a pandemic of today’s world. It is the primary factor contributing to social inequality, thus widening the gap between the rich and the poor.
Educational inequality arises due to the unequal distribution of academic resources.
Unequal Funding
Innumerable schools become victims of unequal funding. The neighborhood will determine your school funds, thus reducing your chances of competing with other well-funded schools.
Out-Dated Curriculum
In many schools around the world, the current curriculum was designed during the industrial era. That era aimed to produce disciplined workers. It prepares students for jobs and dictates their careers.
The out-dated curriculum fails to strengthen the skills and passions of its students.
Decreasing the value of teachers
A teacher is one of the most valuable assets of the education system. The value of a teacher has a direct relationship with the quality of education. Today, education systems are not investing in their teachers. There is a lack of teacher professional development programs and an abundance of under-performing teachers throughout the world.
Increasing Tuition
Survey shows that college tuition has doubled over the past decade. People are in debt almost all their lives due to the student loans they took. Colleges are becoming more expensive day by day, with the product becoming worse day by day.
Countless other problems lead to the education system’s failure to prepare its students to excel in the practical world and promote entrepreneurship culture among them.
Comparison Between An Ideal and the Actual Education System
Undoubtedly today’s education system is failing its students. It’s robbing them of a possibly bright future. Instead of guiding our progeny about the benefits of entrepreneurship, we are focusing more on making them robots that follow instructions.
An ideal education system needs to train the students for becoming successful entrepreneurs by conducting effective workshops and giving them exposure to activities and competitions where they can develop in themselves the entrepreneurial qualities and learn strategies about business and administration.
Practical Steps To Be Taken To Incorporate Entrepreneurship In Education
We can take the following steps to incorporate Entrepreneurship in Education.
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Learning through Experience at a Young Age
It should be made mandatory for every student to attempt at least three business ventures before fifteen years of age. The types of business could vary. Schools can provide a small amount of capital to some students to initiate their startup.
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Learning through the experiences of others
By the age of 15, every child must read the complete biography of 10 successful or influential people. They will become aware of the challenges faced by these successful people and the way they reacted. This awareness will, in turn, arm our students with skills that will enable them to deal with their challenges in a positive way.
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Curriculum to be curtailed
There is an urgent need to change the out-dated curriculum that is taught at schools and colleges. The principle of ‘less is more’ should be followed while designing the curriculum. The focus should shift from content to critical thinking and skill development.
Bottom Line
To sum up, some of the most successful people are encouraging grad students to drop out and save the massive tuition that they are paying in addition to three or four years of their lives. But this is definitely not the solution. We need to rectify the mistakes we have been making in developing curriculum for schools and employ educational strategies that involve students in learning practical entrepreneurial skills with the hopes that we equip our coming generations with enough practically applicable knowledge in the field of business.