Education

Education is an essential factor which leads to social and economic benefits for both the individual and the society. It is a life-time process that plays an important role especially in the child’s life.

Education helps:

for social mobility to happen (an upward movement for disadvantaged background to break out the intergenerational chains of poverty)
to girls and women to increase their self-confidence and decision-making ability
to decline crime rate in the society

Those are only few of the benefits of education. In the video “ The Purpose of Education” you could learn what a world-renowned linguist, intellectual and political activist - Noam Chomsky thinks about the purpose of education. For him on one hand the education can be seen as a tool to help people study how to learn on their own while on the other hand education could be interpreted as a necessary framework that young people have to follow since childhood in order to obtain knowledge. Those and other interesting facts are shared in this video.

The second video “Hackschooling makes me happy” on this page presents the view on education provided at school of a young person, Logan La Plante at a TED talk conference. His talk speech is quite inspirational and shows a new view of what is the purpose of education:. In his view in schools children should be educated about how to be happy and healthy. He is a student in a non-traditional school where this thinking is integrated. He gives examples from his school lessons and how they provoke his creativity and makes him feel satisfied.

For further information on what is the purpose of education we suggest you to read the following resources:

Barr, N. (2001) Education. In: Barr, N. (ed). The welfare state as piggy bank. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Global Campaign for the Education (2012). Make It Right: Ending the Crisis in Girl’s Education. [Online] Available from: http://www.campaignforeducation.org/docs/reports/makeitright/MakeItRight_Report_07.pdf [Accessed: 28/06/2014]

Great Britain. Department for children, schools and families. (2010). Safeguarding children and young people who may be affected by gang activity. [Online] Available from :https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288804/Safeguarding_children_Gang_activity.pdf [Accessed: 28/06/2014]

Hudson, J., Kuhner, S. & Lowe, S. (2008) Education. In: Hudson, J., Kuhner, S. & Lowe, S. (eds). The short guide to social policy. Bristol: Policy.

Kumar, S. & Ahmad, S. (2007) MEANING, AIMS AND PROCESS OF EDUCATION.[Online] Available from: https://sol.du.ac.in/Courses/UG/StudyMaterial/16/Part1/ED/English/SM-1.pdf [Accessed: 26/06/2014]

Machin, S. & Vignoles, A. (2006) Education Policy in the UK. [Online] Available from: http://cee.lse.ac.uk/ceedps/ceedp57.pdf [Accessed: 15^th June 2014]

Phillips, D. & Schweisfurth, M. (2006) Education and national development: An introduction to key ideas and questions. In: Phillips, D. & Schweisfurth, M (ed). Comparative and international education. London : Continuum International Pub. Group

UNAIDS, UNFPA & UNIFEM. Women and HIV/AIDS: Confronting the Crisis. [Online] Available from: http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/women/report/chapter5.html [Accessed: 27/06/2014]

Wadsworth, B (c1996). Piaget’s theory of cognitive and affective development: foundations of constructivism. 5^th edition. White Plains, N.Y: Longman Publishers USA.

West, A (2008) Education in Schools. In: Alcock, P. et al. (eds.) The student’s companion to social policy. 3^rd edition. Malden, MA; Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.