Problems Promoting Schools

How promoting schools and schooling can be harmful for children?

The international campaigning site Avaaz recently released a campaign promoting schools for everyone. The idea that children shouldn't be lef out of schools because of political, social or religious reasons is totally acceptable, but the fact that schools themselves are not necessary very good places for children is not discussed.

Here's my response to the Avaaz campaigners.

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Hello lovely Avaaz people,

I would love to sign this petition about schools for every child, but there are couple of fundamental problems with this petition, or more clearly, with schools and schooling.

1) The quality of schools in general around the world is terrible.

2) The quality of learning in schools is terrible almost everywhere including western countries.

3) The concept of schooling is flawed in its roots. Children don't need schooling, they need support, love, care and someone to help them learn the things they need.

4) Schools are formed as industrial factories, producing or conditioning people who are easily controlled by the ruling power.

5) In western countries this is leading to situations where e.g. homeschooling is illegal and people who don't want to send their children to schools because of the reasons above, are fined or in worst cases jailed and their children taken into custody, even though the family could provide a healthy, safe and good educational environment to their child. This is happening e.g. in Germany, Sweden and Spain.

6) Schools are often used to manipulate children with propaganda, especially in totalitarian countries. This is very clear in countries like China and now it's becoming more clear in Russia. This happens a lot in the U.S.A also, where the day is started by pledging to the flag.

7) Schools are used as means of oppression, especially in countries with language minorities, where the teaching language is other than the native language of the students. In many cases the students are not allowed to speak in their native language in school.

8) In many countries corporal punishment is still used openly in schools, including modern countries like New Zealand.

So instead of promoting schools and schooling, I would suggest promoting high quality educational possibilities for everyone, making the problems with modern education more visible.

I'm happy to discuss this further. I've been involved in alternative education movements for more than 20 years and currently run an alternative online school in Finland.

Thanks for your hard work and dedication!

Love,

Marko Koskinen
School in Development Association
Phoenix School Online
Finland