Question: Based on the extract, what do you think should be done to remedy the ills of an economic-centered education system? Give examples to support your answer.
An economic-centered education system causes society to go into a downwards spiral as people care more for money than for society's welfare. People care more for being able to make the maximum amount of money, than for their own culture and heritage. These are some of the main points stated in the essay.
I agree with the essay that an education system which is economically centered can cause problems for society. This is a major problem which should be remedied. One of these methods to remedy the problem would be to incalculate moral values and the respect of one's heritage into the system, an idea brought forth in the essay's last paragraph. Putting emphasis on these aesthetic subjects would show students that studying is not merely about being able to get a better job in future, and bring their mindset back to the more traditional Asian mindset, that education should enrich a person's understanding of his life, and prepare him for his future. A good example of an education system which is able to incalculate values into the education system would be Singapore's. With subjects such as moral education being taught in classes and Community Involvement Projects being held, the student is taught to involve himself in the community, and to contribute to it in ways other than just economic contribution. This then helps the students to understand that education is not all about good grades, but is also about being a good citizen.
Another solution to the problem of an economic-centered education system would be to give more choices to students with regards to their course selection. This would allow them to be able to choose varied courses and hence, allow them to become better students. In other words, students would be encouraged to not only take subjects which are essential for their future, such as mathematics, and physics, but to also take up aesthetic subjects such as literature and artwork. This would then allow for a less economic-centered student to be bred, while also reducing the stranglehold the economy has on the education system. Students should also be encouraged, from young, to not only think of their future in making money, but to also think for their cultural upbringing. With more varied subject options, students would be able to take up economic-centered subjects side-by-side with aesthetic subjects, hence ensuring that he would have a more balanced education. An example of this would be Singapore's Junior College curriculum, which ensures that students must take at least one aesthetic subject, while also taking science subjects. Furthermore, Humanities scholarships are also given out to encourage more students to step away from an economic-centered mindset.
The last solution would be to increase the number of alternative programmes. Besides having the normal standard curriculum where students concentrate on economic-centered subjects with one aesthetic subject. Programmes concentrating fully on the aesthetic should also be set up and promoted, allowing students of greater ability to participate in them, hence giving them more choices and also stepping away from the economic-centered education system. In this respect, good examples for this would mostly be Western Countries like Britain and France, where there are sufficient provisions for such alternative education courses. Singapore has begun to move in this direction, but still is unable to be compared to them, since the amount of work being done is still insufficient.
Therefore, the three solutions to remedy the problem would be to incalculate moral education into the education system, to have a wider range of subject combinations, and to have an alternative education system.
Marks: 11/12
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