I want to show you a few pictures before we start

[pictures of clothing, phones, and cars years ago and now]

Look how much these things have changed. I don’t think a person from that time period would actually
recognise what these things are due to the incredible innovations that have allowed the industries to
evolve over the last 100-ish years. And now, the final picture.

[shows picture of a classroom from 100 years ago and then b31]

There is some change, but very little. For example, the use of the internet, school iPads and smart
boards is revolutionary but that’s about it. Very little has changed about the essence of the classroom.
Another example of an industry slowing down in innovations is the automotive industry.

The education industry is at a standpoint. It’s slowed down in new ideas, out of the box thinking. It
needs to transition from slow moving, like, ironically, the automotive industry, and restructure the
system to better benefit students and teachers alike. As we all know, teachers don’t get paid as much as
they should. Think about it. Don’t the people that taught, even inspired Einstein, Edison, Nikola Tesla,
deserve better pay? This is why I think the current education system should be replaced.

However there are some advantages to the current education system: the accessibility, the structured
learning environment, the ability to socialise, the range of extracurricular activities and more are already
being offered, which means that the current education system could perhaps be improved upon instead
of being completely scrapped.

Quite possibly the biggest problem with the current system is the ‘one size fits all’ approach. People
have different learning styles and and many of them aren’t accommodated; this means isn’t able to
properly cater to every students interests and abilities. It can limit creativity, critical thinking, and
problem-solving skills, as us students are made to focus on rote memorisation and regurgitation of
information. Rather than learning at our own pace, we are forced into the mindset that tests and
memorisation of facts and figures are what make success, not actual learning and utilising knowledge.

This also leads to a lack of individualisation. Due to large classes and individualised attention, students
that have different learning styles or that need extra attention may not get it, and as such they may fall
behind in their studies.

Another important aspect of education that we should find a way to get rid of is the overemphasis on
grades and testing. This is one of the worst aspects as they put students under intense stress to perform,
and they end up fearing the worst if it doesn’t pay off. As well as this, tests only happen once every half
term and formal exams occur one a year. Around 45% students report feeling burnt out and having no
time to relax. I however understand that tests are useful for teachers as they do show how students are
performing and how much effort they put into their education and don’t thing they should be taken out
entirely.
Another thing that needs changing about the current education system is it’s reliance on theoretical
knowledge rather than knowledge that can be applied in the real world. Think back to the last time you
needed to know why Jack and Ralph are foils to one another, to how surds work. Only a small majority
of us will need to know stuff like this which means that the rest of us are sitting here learning things that
are useless to us. This leads to a gap in the knowledge we’re taught and the knowledge we will need
later on in life.

The existence of private schools is a problem to education because it gives well off people like us an
unfair advantage over teens with poorer backgrounds.

While I completely agree that academic knowledge is important, I feel that schools don’t prioritise ‘soft
skills’ such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and
adaptability. These skills are sought after in many industries but schools only teach us actual knowledge
rather than skills used to learn. In a way, not teaching these skills is a form of encouraging memorisation
rather than understanding because they don’t teach the skills core to learning and understanding things.

My last point is teachers pay. Education is one of the most important stages of every person. It is crucial
to everyone’s development. Yet qualified teachers earn £24,000 on average. I personally don’t think
that’s fair to them considering how much work they put in; making lesson plans, actually teaching,
marking work. You would think a lot of this stuff would pay better.

The real question is, how do we solve all of this?

In actual fact, it is quite simple. We should spend a decent chunk of primary school learning how to
utilise the soft skills, and we should spend a decent chunk of high school learning practical knowledge
that will help us in the real world. Tests should be taken more frequently so that less is covered, allowing
the student to study less, especially if they’re paying attention in class. In the case of private schooling
AND teachers pay, we can take Finland as a good example. In Finland all schools are publicly funded, and
there are no private schools. This forces wealthy benefactors to give money to schools to ensure their
children get a good education. As well as this teachers in Finland earn as much as €55,406 (£47557). The
lack of individualisation and the one size fits all approach are very big things to try and replace, but
schools are already combating this approach with use of something called differentiated
learning/instruction. The traditional schooling system only serves aural styles of learning well, when
there are around 12 to actually cater to. Differentiated learning could be implemented by having
teachers set up several lesson plans and allowing students to pick which one is best for them.
Alternatively teachers could also put students that learn in the same way in groups, to compliment and
enhance their abilities to learn. Another example could be allowing students to make the assignments
their way. For example they could write it as an essay, turn it into a song, write a speech, etc. This allows
the student to engage in the work as they please, and by doing this learning and even homework would
seem like less of a chore things like this also help maintain and enhance soft skills such as creativity.