Do you think the school system is fit for purpose?
I recently attended a shindig with my parents. It was one of those events where you don’t know anyone and random people come up to you and claim that they once saw you when you were three years old.
It was a pretty boring night, but a young sixteen year old struck up a conversation with me. He wants to be a doctor in the future so he naturally started to ask me about how I prepared for exams, what subjects he should be taking and what extra-curricular activities he should be concentrating on.
I gave him my honest answers and he was placated by them.
The conversation got interesting when I asked him what he was currently being taught at high school.
I was shocked.
In IT for example, he is not being taught how to code, how to programme and what the differences between HTML5 and CSS are. Instead he has a module learning about what the differences between a laptop, smartphone and desktop PC are and under what circumstances it would be best to use each.
My 3 year old cousin already intuitively knows this! Everyone born after the year 2000 knows this!
Keep in mind that in England, compulsory education ends at sixteen.
This very bright young man has not been given the tools he needs to survive by the end of his compulsory education.
If you are not given the tools to survive by the end of compulsory education, then I think we can all agree that the education system has failed.
Keeb's Blog 