A few days ago, i overheard a father scream in anger at his son for having failed an exam, apparently, he had spent so much on his son’s education and it was appalling that his son had failed. Although I understood his feelings to a degree, in today’s economy it is difficult to raise money for anything and most people are just barely scraping by, I certainly did not understand his reaction to the matter. In a rage, he said something that really hit me “You’ll never make it in life with grades like this” The child, I believe was just 11 years old.

In today's world people seem to have bought into the idea that good grades are somehow proportional to success, however, in the real world we see that even having a university degree does not guarantee you anything. As Thomas Smale rightly puts it;

“Most people are brought up to believe that going to school, getting good grades, working hard and getting a good job are the steps you need to take to become successful. Today, a good education and gainful employment are merely the status quo -- these qualifications are no longer a proven formula for wealth and success.” - Thomas Smale.

Sometimes I wonder If the obsession with formal education on the part of the parent is driven by a sincere desire for the child to succeed or a need for social approval. I know we’d all like to think it’s the former rather than the latter but who knows.

Here are some examples of highly successful people who didn’t graduate from a university

• Richard Branson
• Steve Jobs
• Larry Ellison
• Michael Dell

Ironically these people employ thousands of graduates every year. It’s a big fat joke. Graduate and be employed, drop out and become the employer.

The educational system is based on standardization and conformity it suppresses imagination, individuality, and creativity and discourages contrarian thought, effectively turning people into mindless machines. Throughout the ages great men from Plato to Einstein have spoken out against the tyranny of this system.

“It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of education have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty.” – Albert Einstein

“One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year”- Albert Einstein

“Knowledge that is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.” – Plato

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain

“Education is a state-controlled manufactory of echoes.” – Norman Douglas

“The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately, in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence.” – Oscar Wilde

Formal education in my opinion, is nothing more than a tool for social control. It is sad that millions of people are now being conditioned to think and feel a certain way. Formal education is contrived to perpetuate the status quo by endorsing a life of subservience to authority. The system is designed to test only memory not true intelligence and requires the student to regurgitate answers instead of formulating his own through critical thinking. This is the major reason why nothing significant will ever come of the thousands of universities we have around the world. Any belief that the school system will lead to success and satisfaction in life is merely an illusion. Trust me, I've spent the better part of my life in there i know. The only path to success, true success is self-education.