Some common sense on education at last

It was a great relief to read an article in yesterday’s Sunday Times about an alternative educational programme which is helping young teenage drop outs get back into some kind of formal schooling.

A relief, because for too long I have just read statistics about the alarming rate of those who fall through the cracks. Depressing numbers which tell a sorry tale of those who leave school too early and end up in the vicious circle of having no education and no skills to speak of.

By the time they drop out, they have already become disillusioned with the whole concept of “school” and feel like failures in every academic subject. This is why it was such a shame that the trade school concept which worked so well in the 1970s was scrapped, as that used to steer children who were so inclined into certain practical trades after Form Two, which meant they were still young enough not to have given up.

As things stood until now, the educational system was failing these kids and apart from moaning about it and tut-tutting about how terrible the situation was, there was no real action being taken (or whatever action was taken had not succeeded).

Rather than let the spiral of self-destruction continue, at least this programme seems to be reaching out to them to tell them that yes, you are still worth something; you can still contribute something to society

The Alternative Learning Programme is a project which has taken the bull by the horns, going to the heart of the problem: rather than trying to make these kids fit into our one-size-fits all system, they have changed their approach on how to handle those who have an aversion to the school syllabus as it is taught. It is one of those programmes which reminds me of movies which have often come out of Hollywood: you know the kind, where a maverick teacher walks into a disruptive, low-achieving classroom, throws away the usual rules and regulations and manages to get through to the rebellious kids through music, drama or whatever else they are good at. I’m completely in favour of this approach because the ultimate aim of teaching is to make a difference and reach the most difficult students (because let’s face it, naturally bright intelligent children are a breeze to teach in comparison).

Of course, as pointed out in the article, this programme is bound to be met with raised eyebrows because of its revolutionary approach: no homework, no ‘O’ levels, no uniforms and no dress code. More controversially, it even allows students who are smokers to smoke on school grounds on the condition that they attend a programme to try and quit. Yes, why not? I think smoking (as bad as it is for their health) is the least of their problems when you have adolescents who have serious gaps in their rudimentary knowledge, and who have turned to drug abuse and in some cases have already had brushes with the law.

Rather than let the spiral of self-destruction continue, at least this programme seems to be reaching out to them to tell them that yes, you are still worth something; you can still contribute something to society.  

More significantly, when you help these youngsters get back on the straight and narrow, giving them a sense of purpose, rather than allowing them simply to drift through life, you are also helping to reduce future potential social problems.  

Isn’t it a crying shame to see (as I’m sure you have), young 20-somethings who are unable to even write coherently in their native tongue on Facebook?

It need hardly be said that a lack of literacy and numerical skills not only severely limits one’s choice of employment but, more than ever before, it represents a severe handicap when it comes to functioning day-to-day. How do you fill out forms, deal with the bank, purchase a car or a home? More crucially, how can you possible help your children when you yourself are barely literate?

Of course, there are those who manage to just about get by without having the basic knowledge many of us take for granted, because their lifestyle doesn’t require them to know much except the bare minimum. But isn’t it a crying shame to see (as I’m sure you have), young 20-somethings who are unable to even write coherently in their native tongue on Facebook? Sure it is easy to poke fun and ridicule the abysmal sentences written phonetically because of the “who cares, as long as you can be understood” approach, but it is a terrible indictment of our school system just the same.

It points to a rigid academic approach which simply does not work for everyone and does not cater for children who (for example) may have hidden creative talents or an innate ability to understand machinery.  I believe that in every child there exists the ability to be very good at something, and it is up to us to encourage this ability to flourish and be recognized with applause, in the same way we applaud all the bright kids who troop up to receive their prizes on prize day.