Education in crisis

The crisis in education tends to be a very recurrent topic in all countries. Several factors contribute to deepening the deplorable situation of the education systems. This crisis has left schools with a mortal wound that needs healing.

We need to realize and bear in mind that society is in constant evolution. Yet the level of education is not what it used to be. Fifty years ago, you could graduate from high school and get well-paid job. Nowadays everything has turned more complex and a high school diploma is not enough to get a job. But the education system seems to be regressing. Most of the teenagers who graduate from high school fail at reading comprehension level. And what is more, there is a big gap between the level of high school and university.

Teachers’ salaries are a controversial issue. Those who want to be teachers need to go through a long course of studies to become highly qualified professionals. Then, when they want to work, the salaries are so low that they can discourage anybody. This may be the reason why many proficient teachers end up working somewhere else and their jobs are taken by someone less qualified.

Furthermore, the dilemma of schools taken over by students depicts not only an educational crisis but also a social crisis. There is no harm in fighting for your ideals and for improving a situation that affects your peers. But there is a line that should not be crossed. When you fight for something you believe in and go on strikes and make yourself heard is alright. But when you are picketing and blocking the streets, making it impossible for other citizens to go to work or get home on time, upsetting citizens’ lives and not letting some of your schoolmates –those who want to- have regular classes, then, something is wrong. Actually, in those kind of situations is where the social and educational crisis are exposed.

Education is what shapes our future and it needs to be taken more seriously. Going to school and receiving a proper education is a vital stage in the lives of every human being. Thus, we cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore the tumours that affect and threaten to leave education perpetually damaged. This situation affects us all.