Australian Education System Critical Analysis

Journalist, satirist and cultural critic H.L. Mencken once said, "The aim of public education is to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence, and so make them fit to discharge the duties of citizenship in an enlightened and independent manner". However, in retrospect, my time within the Australian public education system has shown me that in Australia, this is not the case. Being a part of this system for the past thirteen years of my life, I have come to realise that our education system, powered by teachers who have the potential to inspire and innovate, have caged their students in cells haunted by repetition. We memorise facts to pass a test and forget about them later. We are trained to conform to the …show more content…
We are human beings, critical thinkers. We are doctors, engineers, explorers, artists, writers, dreamers. We are not workers; those who's daily tasks are controlled by a system, stripping away our every right to make own decisions and be innovative. We are not robots that regurgitate facts we read off of text books; we have the ability to create our own ideas, not blindly follow the opinions of others that we are told are correct. Above all, we are more than just a number. The percentages we see on our assignments and papers are not indicators of our intelligence, rather our ability to conform to the standards of the education system. Each one of us has the potential to change the world, but only if we, young innovators, are supported by the education system rather than being held down by it. A child can grow to achieve amazing things, but only if educate and raise them …show more content…
You did not spend years attaining a teaching degree to see your students in an environment free of joy and interest; the desire to learn. I encourage each and every one of those people to act, rather than follow. Do not fear the consequences for drifting away from the norms of education. You have the power to motivate, inspire, rather than instruct. You have the power to change this system; do whatever it takes to give students what they deserve. Above all, inspire students to do their very best not for the purpose of excelling, but for the purpose of learning.
My hope is for this to become a reality, as I have always strived to become a successful engineer, not a drone that is fixed to memorise facts. But for now, I just need to hold on tight, ace the standardised exams and acquire the number which determines whether I am capable of doing what I