Schools: Are They Becoming Obsolete?

Man has always longed for knowledge. The quest to seek out new truths to broaden our horizons still exists till this very day. Schools were thus established as institutions to educate people. However in this new age and growing economy, society thrives on new discoveries and the unknown. The very fundamental concepts of life are degenerating. Schools may no longer be seen as the sole provider of information and education. However they are still necessary for other purposes as their primary function, apart from teaching, also consists in inculcating values, disciplining children and serving many more roles than just providing knowledge. Hence, in my opinion, schools still have a future and might in fact be more important than before.

The very existence of schools may be threatened in our present society. New discoveries are made every day and what was accepted as common knowledge may no longer be true tomorrow. Our ancestors believed that there was a sun god controlling the motion of the sun as well as that earth was at the centre of the universe and that all other celestial bodies orbited around us. Modern science however has proved these beliefs wrong. We know that the sun moves across the sky due to the earth's rotation as well as the act that the sun is at the centre of our solar system at least. In this sense, can we not say that schools in the past have failed their function? If we applied the same principle to our modern society, how can we ascertain that what is taught now may still hold true in the next decade? With the rapid advancements in science, discoveries are going down to the molecular level. We know that nanoparticles exhibit different properties as compared to the macro structure of elements. Hence schools have failed to serve us in this age of time as some basic concepts can already be proven wrong.

The primary goal of a school is to educate the students and equip them with adequate knowledge and skills to survive when they are eventually exposed to the working life. With information being more accessible through other media such as the internet, television and newspapers, what is in the textbooks may not be sufficient. One may argue that the education ministry constantly revises the syllabi for each subject. This, however, is done only every five to ten years and not annually. Furthermore, with such information being easily accessible on the internet, students may find that their pool of knowledge may in fact be broadened out of the classroom. As such, many schools may not be seen as being essential for education in the future unless they incorporate the use of the internet.

However, schools are still needed in the future for the many other purposes that they serve. Teachers make learning fun. They interact with students and create a conducive environment for studying. The internet is inanimate. Facts are plainly written on the screen and on has to read to obtain the knowledge. Studies suggest that students learn better when their visual, oral, and aural senses are all activated. The brain stores the information better and can also retrieve it more easily in the future. Furthermore, a teacher also serves as a role model and guides students as they learn. They explain key concepts and make understanding them easier. Students especially youths may also not be disciplined enough to learn on their own and hence parents send their children to schools in order for them to do productive learning. As such, schools will still have a future and may continue to serve their function.

The reason why many nations make the first ten years of education compulsory is because they teach us the facts of life that cannot be changed. Primary schools as well as secondary schools teach us topics on a general level where these knowledge that we acquire are all true. For instance, we cannot deny the fact that an apple drops because of gravity nor the fact that living things need oxygen to respire. Schools also teach morals and values through civics and moral education as well as to be loyal to the country through national education. Most people also may not exercise on their own accord hence the need for physical education to teach us the importance of maintaining a healthy diet as well as to keep fit. After all, health is wealth. There are many things that the school teaches us apart from just the facts needed to ace examinations. On this note, schools will always remain an essential part of our society.

Moreover, schools do more than just teach. We have heard of the saying "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he eats for life." In a similar sense, schools also teach us how to learn. It might sound complex but this is what most schools are gearing their students towards in this fast-paced and ever-changing world. Schools are now teaching students how to apply what they have learnt and not just regurgitate them to pass the examinations. In other words, the education system is moving away from the path of rote learning. Furthermore, schools are equipping students with information and technology (IT) skills at an even younger age than before. Students as young as eight years old may already know how to surf the internet while parents might not even have seen a computer when they were that age. With these skills, students can do independent learning at home as well as their own research.

In addition, tertiary institutes are also adapting this system of independent learning not just for the students to broaden their own horizons, but also to make independent learning a compulsory part of the curriculum. Knowledge and Inquiry (KI) is a new subject offered by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore which allows students to research on any topic of their choice. They are required to come up with a research essay which will be graded as part of their 'A' level examination. Schools understand that the textbooks may eventually be redundant but they are not making themselves redundant. Hence it is evident that they are changing with time by incorporating this aspect of independent learning so that students are still taught the principles and fundamentals of that subject, while being able to remain competitive by seeking out new information. As such, schools will still exist in the future and may in fact be more important than before.

In conclusion, schools may be threatened with closure if they do not change their teaching methods. However, learning can be more fun and innovative should schools move with time and adopt various teaching methods. Who ever said that school was boring? It will not be in the near future as these 'creative classrooms' will captivate and motivate students to learn. Hence I believe that schools will continue to exist in the future and serve an even more important role instead.