More Education, Less Schooling

by Letters Editor · January 18, 2017

Fr Ralph de Hahn, Cape Town – One goal -Education for all! That is the current outcry. Millions of Africa’s children need an education; yet there is little mention of the most basic foundation of any decent society: the family unit.

Perhaps we ought to change the slogan to One goal – a home for every family!, because surely it is in the family environment that parents truly educate children, form their distinct personalities, guide their will in choosing right from wrong.

Character is dependent on the ability to say no. Unless education can give our children a training of the will, many educated youth may slip into adulthood as mere slaves of propaganda and public opinion; instead of creating, they will be simply imitating.

A distinction must be made between education and schooling. We need parents to educate and teachers to school our children.

This basic education, demonstrating the virtues of love and truth must be provided in a home where a family can gather as just that, a family.

A teacher cannot replace a mother and father. There is an ugly tendency for parents to shift this responsibility on to the shoulders of a good school and a lovely teacher.

It seems clear that schooling is provided to promote growth in knowledge and memory, with regular examinations to allow the learner to move onto a higher level. That is schooling, but not education. Knowledge is for the mind, education at home is for the will! It is not a good thing to pour in knowledge without a will to self-discipline – a conscience to choose right over wrong.

A well-schooled child may well become a very clever devil, a brilliant thief or even a corrupt politician.

In all this we need the grace of God. We may need to bring God back into our Constitution, our courts, our schools, and our homes. Updated from 2010