Education has existed for ages, and we have never questioned its style as it has been the same old style for generations. The curricula that the national system of each country approved and that each school followed.
Looking back, do you think you could have learned more or could have had a higher engagement with the courses if you could have chosen what to study? I genuinely believe that I could have learned more of what I liked, could have put the basis of the must-haves and could have become a better specialist in what I loved. And all of this just with a bit of flexibility from the education part that should allow you to choose your main subjects from high school, and not wait until university to get specialised in something.
Education is one of the largest industries in a country and the world. It is the wheel that keeps us evolving and helps us improve. People have evolved so much, and now they have a thirst for learning and knowledge. They did not have this in the past. And they also did not have access to education as they have nowadays. Education is the primary way to become what you want to be.
The importance of education
Education is the motor of economic development for each country. Education is essential for each country’s development, and this is why maybe it has been kind of untouchable for ages. The national education system decided the path to follow.
The students of today will help the world of tomorrow. And what is important is that today education is accessible to almost every child in the world, no matter the location, the religion, the society they belong to. Education depends a lot on the person. We are all different, and our degree of understanding may differ. Thus, here comes the preference for one subject or another.
Education helps each country economically grow and maintain its position in the global economy. (World Development Indicators, 2007) It drives technological advances, higher living standards and increased knowledge.
Is flexibility good?
Give it or take, to become competitive in the world, people need to improve the skills and knowledge they learn in school. And why is this? They have a wide range of subjects, which contain a lot of information, and there is no focus on something.
The idea is that the more considerable the quantity, the less possibility to reach a high level of quality. And this is not because of the people who make the course, but because the larger quantity you have, the more you have to cut from the information and focus you give to each subject. And this, of course, implies lowering the quality you provide.
Moreover, the quantity mainly adds a high level of stress – as there is a wide variety of subjects, students do not know what to focus on more, they tend to lack interest in learning – no matter the subject. Keeping them engaged is essential to help them learn and make the most out of a class.
Why is high quality in education important?
High-quality education helps people:
- Develop the skills they are born with
- Be more productive in their fields
- Develop more knowledge and skills
Upgrading the quality of education, choosing to have fewer courses and focusing on content helps students improve their skills and apply them to real-world problems while still at school. This involvement will make them more significant contributors to today’s world problems than putting them to study and making them take only A’s while their abilities to meet the demands of the labour markets are low.
Key elements of quality
Like everything, key elements are drivers as far as education quality is concerned. The main elements are:
1. The teacher and the teaching methods
There are many ways for a teacher to become engaged with his course and deliver the most of it and many tools to help him with his teaching. The availability and openness of a teacher to learn new methods and use new and advanced tools will also be seen in the student’s engagement.
2. Educational content
The content should be focused on the quality of the information, not its quantity. This is a main important element that drives the student to learn. Research shows that quantity is sometimes essential, but it depends greatly on the course. And if we are to choose between the two, let’s opt for the quality.
3. Learning environment
As education evolves, so does the learning environment. Now students can choose different ways of learning – and making the choice that fits their needs will result in nothing but an engaged student.
4. Preconditions for pupils
Each student differs, comes from a different background, has a different situation inside the family, and has various aspects that interfere with his studies. A quality education considers all of these other aspects that can interfere with a student capacity for learning.
How can the quality of education be measured?
Grades are not the main measuring tools for quality education. Quality education means knowledge, development, growth of the economic environment, and competitive advantage in a field.
Long are the days when grades were the leading indicators. Now education is about learning and using that learning to add a plus to today’s need for improvement, development and research.
Conclusion
Education is a necessity. Learning is a must throughout your lifetime.
Our view is shared by Hanushek, who believes that there is too much focus “on high school completion, college-going rates,” when the most important is the quality of learning.
The question remains. If we keep on learning throughout our lives, should we make education flexible and more quality like or leave it as it is? We do not say that it lacks quality, but the significant quantity it focuses on sometimes cannot reach the same level of quality for every class.
Each age had its education type. With years people’s needs and society’s needs change; thus, education needs to change.
However, as we come to an end, the best education is a mixture of both quality and quantity. We genuinely believe that staying focused on choosing what and being flexible with students’ choices can help.