The month of September is with us! That not only means that the village festas' season is practically over. It also means that our children start going to school again.
As the doors of our educational institutions open, it is time to reflect on the importance of education. Education is crucial for the intellectual, emotional and spiritual progress of the human person. There have been different theorists who tried to explain how people learn. For instance, John Locke (1632-1704), who advocated the Tabula Rasa theory, said that people are "blank slates" on which teachers could "write" knowledge.
Others, like the American John Dewey (1859-1952), said that learning occurs through experience. Carl Rogers (1902-1987), who promoted the experiential learning theory, held that there are two types of knowledge: academic and experiential. Contrary to academic knowledge, experiential knowledge is gained, mainly to fulfil an important, real-life task, such as learning to drive a car. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) undertook Roger's path and contributed to the hierarchy of needs theory. For Maslow, we humans naturally strive to satisfy our five levels of needs, from the lowest to the highest. They are physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualization. If we want to learn we should satisfy our lower needs first before we can move on to fulfil our higher needs, like education, successfully.
As the list of theories and theorists on educational learning gets longer and longer, it seems that the conclusion we can draw from it is that education is a debatable subject. It is fashioned not only by intellectual progress of humanity but also by social and cultural factors of our times. Whatever idea one may have of it, we can all agree that without education man becomes a slave. How can he understand himself, his fellow human beings and the world he inhabits without being educated?
When mentioning education, we need to be extremely cautious. Some erroneously think that being educated simply means being literate. In other words being able to read books (the thicker the better), write, or attend academic courses to get a prestigious certificate. However, life experience tells us that being educated is much more than merely being literate. The rationale behind our parents, teachers and elders' insistence that our children study and work hard to learn as much as they can to be fully equipped to face the world out there. If any educational system does not address this crucial need, it fails absolutely.
In fact, when commenting on the role of education the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), clearly says that "education should be a means to empower children and adults alike to become active participants in the transformation of their societies". Within the different societal contexts, this means that "learning should also focus on the values, attitudes and behaviours which enable individuals to learn to live together in a world characterized by diversity and pluralism". When, in 1960, the UNESCO espoused the Convention against Discrimination in Education, it sent the clear message that education is crucial in securing equality of opportunity for members of all racial, national or ethnic groups.
The Convention said it is contrary to human rights when one is discriminated against his or her right to be educated simply because of his/her "race, colour, sex, language, religion or political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic condition or birth".
The Catholic Church's contribution to education remains vital. When addressing the participants in the plenary session of the Congregation for Catholic Education (for Educational Institutions) on 13 February of this year, Pope Francis recommended three aspects on education.
First, the value of dialogue. Second, the qualified preparation of formation. Third, the responsibility of educational institutions to express the living presence of the Gospel in the fields of education, science and culture.
Are our schools catering enough for the multicultural thrust of our society? Are our teachers and students actively involved in educational itineraries that involve comparison and dialogue? Do our educators really know how to communicate with the students they teach?
Is our educational system initiating and facilitating enough that much-needed intercultural dialogue which unifies and harmonizes our society?
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap
Paola