THE CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC - PART 1
Education vs Schooling
Education and schooling... two words, two concepts, sometimes they overlap, sometimes they don't. Many even consider them as synonym.
Education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning, judgement and generally preparing oneself for mature life - Thesaurus dictionary. It will interest you to know that when people talk about education, they simply confuse it with schooling.
Schooling is trying to drill learning into people according to some plan drawn up by others. It takes place within the four walls of a classroom, under the the supervision of instructors or teachers. Education on the other hand, is a process of inviting truth and possibility of encouraging and giving time to discovery. It is as John Dewey (1916) put it, a social process "a process if living". It's classroom is the world under the supervision of oneself.I agree with the words of Martin Luther King Jr when he says " The function of education is to teach one to think, intensively and critically plus character ". Simply put, Education is not a measure of certificate alone rather it is the wealth of knowledge acquired by an individual after studying a particular subject matter or experiencing life lessons that provide an understanding of something.
Consider Mr. A and Mr. B who went through the same school, graduated the same time and have the same good grade of result. After years of graduating, Mr. A still roams about the street looking for job while Mr B has created one himself and employed others. What did you think really caused this? The explanation is Simple - Mr A passed through the four walls of a classroom, held unto what his instructors taught him only and graduated with a good grade (Schooling) whereas Mr B did not just hold unto what his instructors taught him but also taught himself and allowed himself to be taught by society (Education). This resulted in Mr. B being productive even after the four walls of a classroom because according to B.F Skinner, education is what survives after what has been learned has been forgotten.
In Conclusion, Education is a life long process. It is not limited to a classroom, a structured period of time or a formal institution. Education can take place anytime, anywhere, in formal or informal ways,it takes place in the midst of family, colleagues, society, culture, work etc. The next time you do want to flaunt your academic qualifications or the school you graduated from, do answer this question,am I schooled or educated.In paraphrasing the words of the American Novelist, Mark Twain, Do not allow your schooling stand in the way of your education

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