Conformity In Education

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Education does not develop individuality but conformity¡± Is such a statement valid? Education is the act of imparting knowledge and skills from teachers to students via a school system; education systems vary in style and administration with respect to different countries. Individuality is the aggregate qualities and characteristics (especially in personality) that distinguish one person from others; it involves diversity or different people similar to the ingredients of a ¡°salad bowl¡±. Conformity, on the other hand, is unconditional similarity in form or character in correspondence to socially acceptable regulations. Education systems all over the world can be more or less fit into two main groups; the Liberals (Western countries) and the Functionalists (East Asian countries). The Liberal system has been the educational ideal of many Western countries including Great Britain and the USA. Liberal education seeks to develop analytical skills and critical thinking in students to prepare them to live life in all its dimensions. The liberals aim to liberate students from the immediate pragmatic concerns of society in education. On the other hand, Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia have their functionalist system. Functionalist education believes that education needs to be fit into the needs of society as a whole. The functionalist system values education for its ability to prepare students for specific roles in society by teaching them what they need to survive for life. To say that education develops conformity instead of individuality is silly because the statement does not specify exactly which education system. Countries with dominant Western liberal education tend to stress each person¡¯s right to individual freedom of expression and choice of lifestyle. But African and Asian functionalist systems more often emphasize the
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