Role of Education in Society Essay Example for Free

Role of Education in Society Essay Society has certain requirements which must be met if it’s to survive; hence the role of education in society is examined in terms of how it helps to meet those needs. Firstly, society needs a certain degree of social solidarity or unity. People must feel a sense of belonging to society and a sense of loyalty to the social group. Common norms and values provide this. Secondly, every society requires a system for socializing new members. In an industrial society in which occupational status is largely achieved, young people must learn to value individual achievement. Thirdly, every society requires a system for placing people in roles best suited to their talents and abilities. This is particularly true in industrial society with a specialised division of labour. The right people must be matched with the right jobs. Lastly, for society to operate efficiently and effectively, its members must possess the necessary skills to perform essential tasks. (Harambos et al, 1986) Education attempts to develop the personality of the pupil and prepare him for membership into society. This function corresponds to the double role a person has to play in life, both as an individual and as a member of society. Schools in western societies emphasize individual achievement. The student achieves his/ her status based on their ability, talent, determination and effort. Achievement is measured by the student’s performance in examinations. Education can be seen as a system for sifting, sorting and grading people in terms of their ability. Students leave school having been thoroughly tested. In theory, the most talented will achieve the highest qualifications; the least talented will come away with little or nothing to show for their efforts (Harambos et al, 1986) The vision for the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocation Training and Early Education (MESVTEE) is â€Å"to guide the provision of education for all Zambians so that they are able to pursue knowledge and skills, manifest excellence in performance and moral uprightness, defend democratic ideals and accept and value other persons on the basis of their personal worth and dignity, irrespective of gender, religion, ethnic or any other discriminatory characteristic (Ministry of Education, 2000) The Ministry of Education emphasizes that the child is placed at the center of the entire education process which exists solely for the sake of the learner. It also recognizes that each child is unique. This contributes a rich diversity to the whole education system. The aim of school education is to promote the full and ell rounded development of the physical, intellectual, social, effective, moral and spiritual qualities of all pupils so that each can in turn develop into a complete person, for his/ her personal fulfilment and the good of society (Ministry of Education, 1996) The education system in Zambia is divided into four major parts. These parts include lower and middle basic school; upper basic school; high school; and higher education. The education system for the lower and middle basic levels is concerned with the pupils’ complete needs: those of the body, mind, affective, social; moral and spiritual needs. The system at this stage allows for adaptation of some aspects of the curriculum to match local needs and circumstances. This stage provides pupils with a substantial and recognizable preparation for life. Ministry of Education, 1996) The upper basic system builds on the foundation laid at the lower levels, though the programme of activities is just broadened and balanced to allow for treatment at an in-depth appropriate for the level of education, age and experience of the pupils. Education at this level includes issues like Education for democracy, which allows these young Zambians to acquire an understanding of the values that have shaped society and the practices that have preserved it; literacy and numeracy which allows them to read and write correctly, clearly and confidently in both their Zambian language and in English, and to acquire basic numeracy and problem solving skills for them to function effectively in society; science and technology helps the pupils develop processes of scientific thinking. This ability to think scientifically and understand scientific processes has become a condition for survival in society; practical and technical subjects provide compensation for traditional knowledge and practical skills that students would have acquired if they had not been attending school. They also provide a way of experiencing and dealing with the physical world. (Ministry of Education, 1996) Since upper basic education may be the only formal education the majority of pupils will likely get, the basic education system should adequately prepare the pupils for life after school; hence issues such as health and personal well being, Sexuality and personal relationships are tackled at this level. This is coupled with helping the students to develop socially acceptable habits. In these studies, effort is complemented by the home, community and society at large. This enables the pupils shape for themselves their own personal philosophy of life, by internalizing and adopting their own set of values and attitudes which would direct their own lives. (Ottaway, 1962) Performing and creative arts helps the pupils develop knowledge of and a deeper appreciation for Zambia’s rich cultural heritage and thereby contribute to the preservation and development of this heritage. Co-curricular activities also help pupils develop life skills which equip them with positive social behaviour and coping with negative pressure. High school builds on the foundation laid in upper basic school. High school aims at the integrated and comprehensive development of each pupil’s potential, enabling the pupil adopt adult life and make a useful contribution to society. It also develops the intellectual skills and qualities, foster creativity, imagination resourcefulness and innovativeness and provide occasion for their practical exercise. It also promotes extensive knowledge, exact skills and accurate understanding of areas of study. (Ministry of Education, 1996) When progressing from one level of the education system to the next, evaluation and assessments are conducted. This is in order to determine whether the education system is achieving its objectives, and that it is producing the right caliber of graduates expected by society. Society’s interest is on the public exams that mark the end of one stage of education and serve as a selection instrument for the next stage. (Ministry of Education, 1977) In conclusion, the education system in Zambia is inclined towards the new sociology of education because emphasis is placed on the individual development of the pupil’s potential. Throughout the whole progression from lower basic to high school, focus is placed on the development of the pupil’s skills individually. Pupils therefore develop knowledge of and a deeper appreciation for Zambia’s rich cultural heritage and thereby contribute to the preservation and development of this heritage throughout the whole education system.

Life :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you are   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  born in the United States with an Hispanic background, You are taught what your parents know. They teach you Spanish because that the language they know very well and they grew up with learning by their parents for a long time. But after you learn to speak your native language, then they want us to learn English very well and to use it more than the Spanish language. Being bilingual is to people advantages in getting jobs and becoming a big part in the business world know these days. More and more people want to hire people that know more that two languages so they can sell more to other people than just to people that can speak English. Like for example the Spanish language is very big to everyone know these days because were growing very fast in the United States. So know everytime you open up like instruction booklets or anything else, you will see it in English than the other language will be Spanish.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1980 a boy name Juan Carlos flew to New York from the Dominican Republic, he was so exhausted from the hot, sweaty flight he had. So then he jump into a yellow new york city cab, that had a very bad odor. Next he went to go to stay at his grandmother house. When he saw his five foot one inch grandmother with high cheek bones, he just ran up to her to give her a big huge hug. So when he got to her apartment he went to his small one window bedroom and was satisfy that he finally has its own room because he had to share with his two older brothers while he was back home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Juan Carlos main goal was to get a decent enough job so that he can support his mother that is very ill from her high blood pressure. So he loved his mother so much he decided to go to New York and support his mother while he’s here working. The next day he left with his cousin Jr. whose an older than him and is very smart in his studies at school to look for a job, so that Juan can support his mother. They were walking in the crowded city of New York, when Jaun past by a Glamorous, beautiful hotel in 42 street. When he and his cousin stepped in their face was so shocked because they never seen such a beautiful hotel like that in their life.

Elizabeth Bishop and Her Poems Essay

Elizabeth Bishop was not just a simple poet for me during her time. Her family background contributes to her life and career in a significant manifestation. Because she was not raised by her own parents, she used to perceive things in a broader knowledge – accepting everything that she has despite of her parents’ incapability of nurturing and loving her as she grows up. This is what I like about Bishop. Despite of her shortcomings and emptiness in some part of her being, she tried to perform better in her lifetime that gave her different achievements and recognitions in the literary world. Her life during her childhood when she used to go to different relatives because her father died while her mother was hospitalized taught her how to adjust to different people and knowing them at the same time. She knew that her relatives especially her aunt loves her so much, more than what she expected but she still seek for the love of her parents. For the reason that she could not obtain the love that she wanted, she makes herself busy to many things that she thought would help her to become a better person even if her parents are not around her. The way she was not raised by her own parents and could not able to give her the strength in everything she does manifests during her college days when she could not pursue her dreams in music for she is afraid to face the crowd. Through writing, she found herself successful behind her narrators or characters in her poems. In writing, she was not afraid to face her readers for she would just write and let her readers feel her through her poems. As a reader, I can probably say that I can feel her personality because of the way on how she attacked her poems during her point of views and the way she related fiction to reality is the most considerable things why I admired her. Aside from the fact that I liked her because she is a woman like me, I ca relate to many things that happened to her like losing her parents at an early age. I also love the way she writes her poems. As she focused most of her poems on nature, she illustrates the reality within it. Through reading her poems, we can see how much our modern period and nature have changed from then to now. In this case, we could be able to relate what the history tells us and how would these aspects recount to our modern world. It is an important point of attack because the readers would have the power to describe the past and acknowledge it in the present situation of the society and nature. The most significant poems that are close to my heart are Bishop’s poems entitled â€Å"The Map† and â€Å"Florida†. As I read these two poems, it reminds me of many things in life. It gives me the knowledge on how to perceive life in a positive way despite of all the odds within my journey. Because I know that life is a never-ending journey and responsibility, I have learned how to take each day as one step as a time to what I believed and my purpose in living. Critical Essay Elizabeth Bishop’s poem entitled â€Å"The Map† is about the description of the difference between the historian and map-makers in terms of their way of tracking the geographical event and scenario between the North and the West. The author describes profoundly the setting where beautiful things emerge. There are no negativities within the poem. Everything looks good. That is why as the readers read this poem they would feel the goodness of history and reality at the same time. The author showed and described abundant images and elements to show the life of the poem. Even if there are some disputes between the historians and the map-makers, the author did not show the negativities within it. As an irony of the poem, she used positive images and elements to show the problem within it. It was like the character of the author. Bishop can be said as the narrator of her poems. Even if she felt bad, she would hide it in front of many people showing the good things within her while she hides the dilemmas in her life. Another significant thing that we need to consider in this poem is the femininity of the poem. The author used feminine images and elements that showed the essence of being a woman. Some of the images that exist in this poem are lovely bays, peninsulas, yard-goods, and glass. Lovely bays signify beauty and keenness, peninsulas signifies curve or silhouette of a woman, yard-goods signifies femininity, and glass signifies fragility of a woman. These images can be seen as a formation of a woman as men define them whom to be the historians and map-makers. It means that men created women as what the bible showed that women came from the piece of men through the conception of Even from Adam. Like the poem â€Å"The Map† the poem entitled â€Å"Florida† is a free-verse poem or much of the acknowledgement as prose-poetry. The author did not use rhyming or syllabication schemes in her poems. She used free-verse without limitation of the rhymes and syllables. It shows that Bishop did not like limitations. She makes sure that she maximized all the opportunities that he has whether in personal or career aspect of his life. When it comes to her poems, he did not limit herself to many things because she wants to show everything that is within her reach. Bishop’s poems show that she loves nature as its best. She perceives nature an important tool in her writings. In the poem Florida, it was just as simple description of the setting of Florida if we look at the literal attack of the author. She illustrates the characteristic and nature of Florida. She did not incorporate any human perspective in this poem. Everything is meant for nature’s purpose and is not from man-made signification. Bishop is also open to many cultures in her poem. She described different images and elements that came from different cultures such as China and India. It means that she is not a discriminator in this aspect because as what we see in her chosen culture, which is China and India. Both of these came from Asia. Asia are known from different kinds of discriminations whether in language or in color. However, as what we see in her poem, she used these cultures as incorporation of the culture of Florida. Because the poem is free-flowing, the concepts and ideas are also free-flowing. It incorporates different kinds of ideologies that set the positive mood of the poem yearning for good realization and judgment of living in Florida. References Bishop, E. â€Å"The Map† Bishop, E. â€Å"Florida†

Sweatshops Positive Deviancy And Global Labour Practices...

Sweatshop Labor Two works adequately address the increasing critical discourse of sweatshop labor. The two works are titled Beyond Sweatshops: Positive Deviancy and Global Labour Practices and The Ethical and Economic Case Against Sweatshop Labor: A Critical Assessment. The former was authored in July 2005 by Denis Arnold and Laura Hartman. The latter was written in September 2011 by Benjamin Powell and Matt Zwolinski. The authors of both works are undeniably qualified and are experts in their respective fields. The credibility of both Beyond Sweatshops: Positive Deviancy and Global Labour Practices and The Ethical and Economic Case Against Sweatshop Labor: A Critical Assessment is strengthened by the academic research and†¦show more content†¦The authors highlight their point that workers often agree to a sweatshop job due to a lack of options and often have a hard time getting out of these positions. Arnold and Hartman conclude that â€Å"the fact that workers agree to la bor under poor conditions does not†¦ constitute the normal workings of a well-functioning free market in jobs and labour† (Arnold and Hartman 209). To support their second argument, the authors focus on the lack of use for the skills developed in factory work and an overall decline in sanitation. They support this argument with claims that â€Å"skills developed through much routine factory work hold no promise of greater economic and social development† and â€Å"the transition from agricultural and cottage industries to factory-based work is argued to have†¦social cost that are not covered by the wages paid by an MNC [multinational corporation] to its employees† (Arnold and Hartman 209). From these two main arguments it is clear that the authors strongly support mandated improvements of working conditions. Another key point conveyed in Beyond Sweatshops: Positive Deviancy and Global Labour Practices is idea of fair compensation. Arnold and