Someone once said that true leaders don’t generate followers. Rather, they make sure to support others develop their unique personality. The latter cannot, in any possible way, be attributed to the current state of our educational system.
Like it or not, our educational system is built on an authoritarian pedagogy. An authoritarian pedagogy places the learner into a passive position in class. In such a context, students are not being trained to develop an autonomous mindset. Rather, they are being taught how to reproduce what is being taught. Thus, herd mentality.
Such a scenario goes down well with the government in power, since they have a passion for passive citizens who, no matter what, accept with great reverence their daily innuendoes.
Social control and authoritarian pedagogy, as opposed to supporting students in becoming autonomous and critical thinkers of their surroundings, seems to be the order of the day.
In the current educational system, the students’ likes, desires and dreams are being sidelined. Spoon-feeding students with information has become the norm, leaving little or no room for the development of critical thinking. This creates a relationship of dependency between the student towards the authoritative figure.
Contrary to the very nature and definition of the word education, students feel demotivated in class since they are being ‘forced’ to abide completely by what they are being told. Through extreme rote learning, learners are losing their innate ability to create, think and act autonomously within a community of learners.
Aggressive rote learning has become so endemic in our schools that students seem to fear any form of decision-making in fear of making a mistake. Conversely, from a very young age, students need to be trained to form their own ideals, take necessary decisions and face the results.
Aggressive rote learning has become so endemic in our schools that students seem to fear any form of decision-making- Mark Frendo
My hunch is that political and educational leaders have embarked on a crusade of wanting students to be faithful followers as opposed to students who are able to analyse, interpret, evaluate and take action on an argument or a situation. The latter is criminal, to say the least.
Sadly, spoon-feeding and extreme rote learning will remain the main driving force in our educational system.
Thus, we need persons in leadership positions who motivate learners. The educational system needs leaders in schools who have the ability to listen to students, who play with them, who love them, who encourage them as opposed to leaders stuck in their offices with their suit and tie.
We need leaders who are caring while, at the same time, firm. Leaders should have a CV of endless love, empathy, firmness, creativity, passion as opposed to degrees, master’s and PhDs.
When the educational system embarks on such a process, students will start being encouraged to search for their personal strengths, explore their unique interests, improve their skills within a healthy and safe school environment, face their challenges and, ultimately, come up with a solution for themselves within the school community and beyond.
The main educational goal within the educational system ought to transform learners from within. It needs to challenge the way students think not only as individual but also as a community of learners.
It ought to provide all learners multiple opportunities of thought processes to empower them in becoming responsible persons. The latter will never be achieved with the current educational goals set by the very few to the detriment of the many.
Mark Frendo has been working in the education sector for the past 10 years as an LSE (Learning Support Educator). He holds a BA in Communication and a BA Honours in Facilitating Inclusive Education.