A country's schooling system touches everyone, whether student, parent, employer or co-worker. It shapes the future of every country. And as such, it also evokes philosophical reflection, or so Epoch Times reporters from the Gold Coast to Gothenburg found out when they asked local citizens, "What do you think of your country's education system?"
Felipe Barros, 30, Musician
I think our education system is maturing. Although it still needs to achieve a better quality, it has already had an improvement. Now, we have less, much less, illiteracy in the country, more universities outside the capitals, more vacancies for the students and a closer link between academic production and society. I believe that if the communities situated around the schools could get closer to them and participate more in education, the quality of public education would improve a lot.
Loo Yiliang, 28, Logistics Executive
Good and slowly improving. Given that the education system is adopting a more flexible system unlike in the past where exams were used to gauge how "good" a student was. Recently, some of the primary schools have abolished the exam system. I think we have finally realized that true education is not confined to just academic excellence and that there are many other aspects to learning. Education should be stress-free and enjoyable!
Lorenza Renzini, 42, Librarian
In past years, the system of education changes every time the government changes. All new governments think they can do it better. The system was good, but education needs a cycle, a time for foundation. When the first grade begins with one type of system in one type of cycle, and then finishes in another system in a system of education, it's very confusing. In the last years, we have this situation and the result is great confusion. The education now is poor.
Martin Vieregg, 35, Student Teacher
How many Maori teachers I’ve had in my entire schooling career (from when I was 5 till now when I’m 35) is one. I’ve had one Maori teacher that whole time, and yet what we’ve been told is that we’re meant to be teaching this whole bi-cultural perspective. There’s this massive void, so it’s hard for me to teach a bicultural perspective when I have not really experienced it firsthand myself.
[Editor's note: Maori are the native peoples of New Zealand.]
Hannah Andrews, 24, Mother and Yoga Teacher
What I think of my country’s education system is that myself, I went to a public school and don’t feel the need to send my daughter to a public school. She’s going to be going to the Steiner education. I believe that children need to be children and expand their awareness of being a child, and the joy of being a child. And then learn about what they need to learn about as they get older.
[Editor's note: The philosophical basis for Steiner (Waldorf) education, developed by Rudolf Steiner, is Anthroposophy, wisdom of the human being.]
Stefan Henricsson, 31, Financial Manager
The system is fair and good. Everyone has equal opportunity to education, and it upholds a good quality.
Simone Lee, 21, Hair Model and College Student
I think that the education system is very good at conditioning people to follow the status quo. Education would benefit more if it focused more on individual expression instead of trying to condition people into a gray crowd. As Nietzsche put it, “the biggest issue of mankind is suppression.” People think that college follows high school because that’s the way it works so they are conditioned to think that the world will fall in on them and make them out to be failures. The education system supports a dog-eat-dog competition mentality where people try to rise above other people. It is a fear-based, not a love-based system. Society tries to tell you this is what 'perfect' is. You should just accept yourself, love yourself. As Joseph Campbell said, “Follow your bliss.”
Lilan Xin, 53, Freelance Mandarin Tutor
There are many good things about Hong Kong's education system, including the availability of a wide range of choice of international schools. Most Hong Kong people are at least bilingual; this must be accredited to its education system. But the system and the culture here also has its pitfalls. One thing that I kept noticing for many years is that in assessments in local schools, common sense and independent thinking may not be acknowledged if an answer deviates from the "model answer." This is undesirable because it produces kids with rigid rather than open thinking and limits their potential sometimes.
Look for the Global Q&A column every week, when Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspectives on local and global realities. Next week’s global question: "What misunderstanding do you think foreigners have about your country?"
