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Education
..what is ethical? The word education evokes a good number of
emotions and feelings. Excitement, boredom, stress, revelation, dread,
camaraderie and that's just in the play ground. So what is education all
about? No doubt, the word ‘education' is immediately
associated with what is, for a better term, known as academic knowledge and
instruction. And since academic education occupies a big part of our
formative life, with direct consequences for the rest of it, we might as well
start our ethical investigation with academic education. We might want to ask such questions as upon what
grounds are elitist academic institutions allowed to exist, especially in democracies? Why should it matter whether one's parents are
rich or poor to receive a good or better education? Maybe elitism exists
because people have different abilities. Methodology of teaching should also be a
legitimate issue. What should be the relationship between teaching and
learning? Should teaching be regimented, instructive or an enterprise between
student and teacher? And should learning be a process of personal discovery
or a feat in memory gymnastics? But it is not until we look at the body of
information and knowledge that is taught under the banner of education that
we seriously get bogged down in a quagmire or even sink in a lake of
quicksand. We all have our favorite examples of what ought to pass as
knowledge to be taught so I'll leave it up to you to fill in the blank space
in the next sentence. What on earth are the authorities doing teaching ______
to our kids? If, however, what is taught and how it is
taught, is legitimate ground for an ethical investigation, then how much more
legitimate ground for investigation should be: what is excluded or what is
left to be acquired by trial and error? If we are taught about the constitution why
aren't we taught how to seek justice in the courts? If we are taught
economics why aren't we taught how to invest on the stock exchange? If we are
taught sex education why aren't we thought how to find the perfect mate? If
we are taught home economics why aren't we taught how to negotiate a mortgage
contract? Philosophers and educators alike would be
justified in complaining that all these questions are neither philosophical
and certainly not necessarily the concern of educators. Fair enough, let's
look at some philosophical questions. What is knowledge and how is information
converted into knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? Is there a world out
there? And to be more practical: does God exist? Is abortion evil? Should we
lie or mislead people? Should we always keep a promise? My country, right or
wrong? It is clear that some philosophical issues are also fundamental issues
in education. Leaving the class room for a minute, we find
ethics and education playing a duet in real life. For example, is it ethical
to publicly inform people about contraceptives and AIDS? Should governments
‘educate’ its citizens about the dangers of certain products sold legitimately
in shops and not others? What right do religions have in educating children
in their teachings? Why aren’t bankers teaching children about the
glory of the capitalist system? Maybe what is ethical in education depends on
what is accepted to be ethical and moral. But this is beginning to look like
a chicken and egg argument. What is ethical is what we have been educated to
believe what is ethical and moral. And now for the checkmate move: what is
education? |