Fanny Bucheli-Rotter, in her article 'Is Education a Journey or a Race?', published in New Straits Times on 14 October 2017, gave her own definition of what education is. She sees it more as a journey than a competition with children. The author also stated that children are supposed to enjoy learning, also to view education as more than just a competition but as a journey, and not pressure youngsters to be like machines. Instead of spending their youth gaining skills in different areas of life other than just being skilled academically, youngsters are growing up in an unhealthy environment that is filled with stress to gain an education.
Bucheli-Rotter compares the era in which she lived and the current one, and she mentions the simplicity during those times when almost every situation had to be a race, from milo chugging to being first in line for the school canteen queue during breaks. She then mentions the absence of teenagers from places like the parking area, mamak stalls, and shopping malls, and she proceeded to the conclusion of the teenagers had no time to be rebellious or immature because they are enrolled for extra classes during their free time. This is agreeable because it seems like the younger generation has been absent from the public view for some time because of tuition or other classes being a part of their schedule, they may lose time in finding what they are interested to pursue and developing other skills. She said, “Born down by a school bag so big and heavy that the child who carries it could easily find space to sit in it herself”, which left a reader confused because it would be better articulated by replacing easily with hardly.
Furthermore, she continues with the ‘Asian F’ always becoming one of the main issues, where it pressures the relationship of the child and the parents to have growth in an unhealthy way, and then she mentions that academic excellence is not the only key to success, she agrees on employers would first unfavorably search for perfect academic results on the resume, but is also looking for someone who has traits such as being passionate, curiosity and their own personality, which cannot be found in a classroom or a tuition center. This is when teenagers are supposed to develop their own character and traits, youngsters should spend their free time pursuing their hobbies or spending time with their friends instead of cramping tuition into their daily schedule.
The author stated: “This argument might come across as irresponsible, dismissive of academic values, rebellious even. It is not. It is simply an attempt at widening the scope of modern education”. I agree with this because the argument points out the negative effects when stress pressured children to only focus on academics or formal education, it is not aimed to glorify being lazy and a sloth but to open them up to other various activities that can be found in their leisure time.
I would agree with the author's perspective because a good education is a better journey than a race. Education is what gives children the knowledge to grasp the meaning of failure and to improve themselves and succeed. We should learn in school to gain more knowledge, not to compete with one another. It is rare that two boys from the same primary school will end up with a similar occupation, it is good to pick up skills outside the classroom, it will help the children to develop character and grow.
Reference
Bucheli-Rotter, F. (2017, October 14). Is Education a Journey or a Race? Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2017/10/290935/education-journey-or-race