Ask About The Continuity Of Learning And Not About The End Of Education

Formal Education

Have you ever been asked, "So you have completed your education?" I am sure most of us have faced this question. It is not surprising for society to think that education has an end and so does gaining knowledge and learning new skills. Well, the intent of asking such a question would be probably just to understand if formal classroom education/degrees have been acquired for the said field of interest and career. But the truth is, it is not unusual to think that these two words 'education' and 'knowledge' are synonyms. The question raised on completion of education also indicates to the other person that ‘I am sure you have gained all the relevant knowledge in the field of career and you are all set to face the real-life situations at workplace.’

As per Oxford dictionary, ‘education' is defined as 'a process of teaching, training and learning, especially in schools, colleges or universities, to improve knowledge and develop skills.' The various formal education levels are divided into primary/elementary, post-secondary, college/university education.

'Knowledge' defined as per oxford dictionary is 'the information, understanding, and skills that you gain through education or experience.'

Learning Never Ends

So if formal education, is what we call schooling, then we have a counterargument to that. In his renowned book 'End of Education', Neil Postman argues that there is a difference between education and schooling. According to the author, education can serve the need for a human to get employed and get into the economy as an earning member of society. But schooling initiates and integrates a common, unifying culture among the citizens.

An article on the website 'Education World', states that education has already broken its barriers from the physical classroom presence of students to flipped classroom models and greater use of technology for reaching far and wide. This trend is only set to increase in the times to come. The pandemic has already triggered a tremendous upsurge in online classroom model and online courses.

No doubt a formal education is a vital aspect of anybody’s life and the Right toEducation Act also states the importance of a child to get basic education up to 14 years. Education gives a standardised orientation to the person towards a set curriculum and learning, which is required to be known at a particular age. It also orients us towards living our life in a disciplined manner as the very culture of a classroom imbibes manners within us. 

Upgrading Skills

Today, it is very well recognised that schooling is not the only type of learning for a person. Knowledge is acquired life-long in various methods like experience, personal development courses, training and development opportunities in the organisation. Learning also happens in a non-formal manner like interactions in personal and workplace. 

My concerns are that the question ‘Have you completed your education?’ implies that there are limits to the amount of knowledge we acquire and connotes that there is an end to it once we reach a certain age and obtain a certain degree.

Let’s argue on how we can rephrase the question for the new age children?  Can we put it as ‘Have you completed the formal school courses required to begin a career?’ or ‘Have you completed the learning which has to be offered by formal degrees or courses in school?’

This kind of specific questions directly point at the boundaries of formal education and learning which it offers. 

Continuity of Learning

To sum it up, formal education always has limited scope for the acquisition of knowledge and learning. But learning is a life-long task, done consciously and sub-consciously by every individual. It is not limited to the scope of formal degrees or certifications.

Let’s change the verbiage to ask about the continuity of learning and not about the end of education. What Say?