[Politics] What is education?

[DataPoint]

We're now being divided into the 'educated' and the 'uneducated'.

But what is education?

One of my 4 Granddaughters left university with a masters degree in science.

My eldest is about to gain a Ph.D. in mathematics.

My other two are right behind them.

50% of young folk take university degree courses.

I left school aged 15 on 15 May 1959 with nothing.

22,687 days later - am I educated or still uneducated?

Who is likely to be the most educated? Those gorgeous girls(women) - or myself.

 

[timbha]

I don’t think you are allowed to reach the age of 22 without a degree, or 24 for a Masters nowadays.

 

[Eeyore]

I'm not sure that 50% of young people doing degrees is a sign of a more educated society at all. It is a sign of a de-skilled population.I would expect that a person who does a degree would do it with a view to using it in their vocation. I'm not sure this is happening.

 

[Bakero]

I'm not sure that 50% of young people doing degrees is a sign of a more educated society at all. It is a sign of a de-skilled population.I would expect that a person who does a degree would do it with a view to using it in their vocation. I'm not sure this is happening.

Education is about more than learning skills to do a job.

 

[Bakero]

We're now being divided into the 'educated' and the 'uneducated'.

But what is education?

One of my 4 Granddaughters left university with a masters degree in science.

My eldest is about to gain a Ph.D. in mathematics.

My other two are right behind them.

50% of young folk take university degree courses.

I left school aged 15 on 15 May 1959 with nothing.

22,687 days later - am I educated or still uneducated?

Who is likely to be the most educated? Those gorgeous girls(women) - or myself.

Good question, I suppose it depends on what you've been doing during those 22,687 days.

 

[Seaber]

Excellent fridat night question (19 Crimes).

Firstly, I'd say being educated doesn't equal being clever. Education is learning from one's birth I believe, or thereabouts if I remember my Latin vaguely.

Saying someone is educated or not educated is meaningless. Either we all are educated, or one has to specify the discipline to determine whether someone is educated in it or not, and even then it's a scale of knowledge which will be discussed and parameters or ideas changed through time.

There is also scholarly vs manual or physical pursuits all of which require learning but mostly the scholarly aspects are thought of as educational (e.g. maths vs electrician or sportsperson)

As a (or the) voice of youth on this forum, not yet being thirty, my guess is leaving school at 18 with decent grades would be seen as 'educated' these days by most.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Good question.

But it is in some respects irrelevant.

Humans survive by making a home. Some of us then pass on our programming (our genes). Fitness describes the achievement.

That's it.

An education is a means to fitness, but there are many other ways. When we were more primitive our fists were key. Later our swordsmanship. Soon our cunning. Our ability to lead and our wisdom to follow.

The bottom line is that by your age if you have the means to stay warm and fed and the reach to nurture your own, you have made it. And the rest of us battle on as best we can.

 

[GT49er]

If all those kids who've got a degree in 'Meedjah Studies' ever rise to the top of the pile, we're all f*ckin' doomed.


50% of kids going to university (or whatever percentage it was) was a stupid idea in the first place. Bloody good news for catering colleges, technical colleges and a few art schools though. £9,000 a year fees? - thank you very much, squire! Degree in [insert something useless here] anyone?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If all those kids who've got a degree in 'Meedjah Studies' ever rise to the top of the pile, we're all f*ckin' doomed.


50% of kids going to university (or whatever percentage it was) was a stupid idea in the first place. Bloody good news for catering colleges, technical colleges and a few art schools though. £9,000 a year fees? - thank you very much, squire! Degree in [insert something useless here] anyone?

Doesn’t “meedjah” in all its shapes and forms contribute around 10% of the western world’s GDP these days? I’d say such a degree is a good choice if you’re after a job? As for art school, the Frau has a degree in fine art and has done well from it.

If we’re doomed, it’s due to those ***** studying Greek classics at Oxford and not some media bods or artists.

Let me guess, you went to the university of life?

 

[GT49er]

Doesn’t “meedjah” in all its shapes and forms contribute around 10% of the western world’s GDP these days? I’d say such a degree is a good choice if you’re after a job? As for art school, the Frau has a degree in fine art and has done well from it.

If we’re doomed, it’s due to those ***** studying Greek classics at Oxford and not some media bods or artists.

Let me guess, you went to the university of life?

Bad guess.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Bad guess.

Okay. Ignore my last sentence, what about the rest of my post?

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Education is similar to quality - both are a never ending journey.

We are all under-grads in the university of life - but some are paying more attention to what life teaches us than others.

For me, education is the ability to learn & retain - again, we're all different with some much better at it than others ....

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Okay. Ignore my last sentence, what about the rest of my post?

I rather like the expansion of the university system, with some caveats that I have elaborated, passim.

A ladder is a ladder, even if one need to take time to select whether to climb the one that leads to a cleaner room on a quieter floor, if you know your Nabokov

 

[Bakero]

If all those kids who've got a degree in 'Meedjah Studies' ever rise to the top of the pile, we're all f*ckin' doomed.


50% of kids going to university (or whatever percentage it was) was a stupid idea in the first place. Bloody good news for catering colleges, technical colleges and a few art schools though. £9,000 a year fees? - thank you very much, squire! Degree in [insert something useless here] anyone?

I don't have a degree in media studies, but at GCSE level it was probably the most eye-opening and engaging subject, thanks in part to a great teacher.

The demonisation of the subject has always struck me as interesting. On a practical level, students learn skills in fields such as journalism and filmmaking, which is no bad thing when the creative industries are such an important sector to the UK economy. What's more, students are able to critically assess their cultural output as well as, crucially, that of others.

Perhaps the press's antipathy towards the subject is to be expected. The papers and, more importantly their owners, don't want media-savvy readers. Likewise, politicians and the ruling classes don't stand to benefit from society having a greater understanding of the role and impact of communication.

Mass Media has a profound effect on our social, economic and political lives, compounded by the dawn of the digital age. Failure to critically engage with it would be foolhardy imo.

If I were in charge, I'd make Media Studies compulsory for all secondary school students. Adults who missed the boat would be obliged do a course online

 

[BBassic]

I don't know if this is on topic but the curriculum when I was in school didn't make sense.

Why did I need to learn about the American West in high school history instead of, for instance, politics. Or how to manage your finances. Both subjects infinitely more useful for a boy venturing out into the world as a young adult.

I don't think schools educate people anymore, they just teach kids how to pass exams. I left college halfway through my AS levels at 17 or so. No degree, worked my way up and I now do the same job as my colleague who went to uni and is saddled with tens of thousands of pounds of Lib Dem treachery.

Apologies, bit of a ramble, morning coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

 

[Gabbafella]

I was a pretty troubled teen and ended up walking away from school with very little and then got kicked out of college, so I have no "education" to speak of.
But because of that, in later life, once I had sorted out everything that went wrong as a teen, I found out that I'm actually smarter than I thought and I retain information like a quiz addict. If I don't understand something, I research it. If I'm interested in something, I study it.
Would I consider myself educated? No. But I'm also not the village idiot.
I've worked with well educated people who have little or no common sense, and all that education counts for nothing. One of my niece's is supremely intelligent academically, but give her a simple daily task to do and it's like asking a chimpanzee to explain the offside rule.

 

[Baldseagull]

We're now being divided into the 'educated' and the 'uneducated'.

But what is education?

One of my 4 Granddaughters left university with a masters degree in science.

My eldest is about to gain a Ph.D. in mathematics.

My other two are right behind them.

50% of young folk take university degree courses.

I left school aged 15 on 15 May 1959 with nothing.

22,687 days later - am I educated or still uneducated?

Who is likely to be the most educated? Those gorgeous girls(women) - or myself.

Impossible to say, qualifications demonstrate an ability to pass exams and the education is assumed as required for that, but it isn't always true. I feel that I make an effort to educate myself, and though I have little in the way of formal qualifications, and would not describe myself as an educated man, I certainly am not an ignorant man.
I have met University graduates though who are opposite, and consider their learning done to a large degree, have a world view that they do not want to change and are bloody ignorant in many ways. I wouldn't fancy undergoing surgery from a self taught surgeon though.

In general, a University degree is a reasonable indicator that the person has not just learned, but that they have learned how to learn independently, and that is not as common among those of us that did not go to University.

As with all groupings, there is going to be the exceptions and the extremes, I don't worry about being lumped in as one of the uneducated, I don't have the paper to prove otherwise, so there I am. Those who put themselves through University deserve the credit for the effort they put in, I think that is a more valuable and proven attribute than how much more educated they may or may not be in general.

 

[Bodian]

I don't know if this is on topic but the curriculum when I was in school didn't make sense.

Why did I need to learn about the American West in high school history instead of, for instance, politics. Or how to manage your finances. Both subjects infinitely more useful for a boy venturing out into the world as a young adult.

I don't think schools educate people anymore, they just teach kids how to pass exams. I left college halfway through my AS levels at 17 or so. No degree, worked my way up and I now do the same job as my colleague who went to uni and is saddled with tens of thousands of pounds of Lib Dem treachery.

Apologies, bit of a ramble, morning coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

We did the History of Brighton, History of China, and Geography of the Ruhr Valley & Brazil. Would have been far better to have concentrated on areas that would be useful to more of us in the future. Not saying that we shouldn't know more about China & Brazil, but a bit odd to single these out - yet not teach pupils where Northumberland is.

I think 'General Studies' A Level has helped a bit in this respect (if it's still going?).

 

[Pint of Ale and a Burger]

Yes,I did media studies at school and it definitely opened my eyes too and I often say it should be a core subject in schools,even more so in these modern times.
When I was at school it we studied film,TV, newspapers and radio.
I reckon with all the media these days it would be a full time course.

 

[The Clamp]

Equipping oneself with the skills that enable one to lead a life that is fulfilling. There is no one prescriptive solution that fits all. Be adaptable, receptive and get at least one qualification that allows you to earn money wherever you find yourself geographically or situationally. Be it TEFL, a CSCS card, a degree, a trade or even just a driving license. Be prepared to graft.
And understand there are always more choices than you may first realise.

P.S get about a bit. There’s a ****ing planet out there. Education is not all about academia. Talk to people.