Education - what is its purpose?

(This picture is of a JBU classroom - taken from the JBU website)

When I read the book, one theme really jumped out to me – the theme of education. What is education for? What purpose does it serve? Paton doesn’t give complete answers to these questions, but he does give his readers some food for thought.

The most important reference to education is contained in one of Arthur Jarvis’ papers. Arthur wrote: “[My parents] taught me my prayers and took me regularly to church…From them I learned all that a child should learn of honor and charity and generosity. But of South Africa I learned nothing at all” (chapter 24). When this quote is read in light of Arthur’s previous paragraph, I think it means that his education included nothing about the major challenges that South Africa faced. The conclusion of Arthur’s essay, about devoting himself to South Africa, seems to prove this point.

Throughout the book, there is an ongoing discussion about whether or not education is the answer to crime. I don’t have space here to get into that, but it does raise interesting questions. Arthur’s quote takes the question of education’s purpose to a whole new level, however.

Arthur is saying that education must focus on more than just subjects such as science, English, or math. Instead, students should be taught about the major issues of their times – the issues which their generation must understand since their views will often change the world around them. At the root, what Arthur is talking about here is a world view. Students must be taught how to think – how to weigh various ideas and understand controversies. They must be taught how to evaluate the world in which they live. Otherwise, they may just accept the world as it is, without questioning why things like South African racism are the way they are.

So what will you do with your education?

A few questions: What has been your view of the purpose of education? What do you think Paton is trying to communicate about education? Is more education really the solution to crime? How can you get the most out of your education?