Education not meant to educate

Education not meant to educate

By Kevin Palmer

It is the beginning of a new school year and well compensated school administrators are eager to serve “the ‘Masters of Mankind’ who live by the “vile maxim” all for us and nothing for other people”, as stated by MIT Professor Emeritus Noam Chomsky.

In his article titled, How the Young Are Indoctrinated to Obey, Chomsky stated, “The current state of public education can be described as “Failure by Design” which is the title of a study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). The EPI study examined the consequences of transforming the economy from domestic production to financialization and off-shoring.” In summary, the consequences were the rich few became richer while the poor many became poorer. Hence, the purpose of public education is to keep it that way. That is why no serious effort is ever put forth to adequately address failing schools while administrators and teachers responsible for the failure are rewarded with pay increases.

Furthermore, Chomsky explained, “Mass public education is used to prepare the masses to tolerate what the ‘Masters of Mankind’ regarded as virtual slavery.

The coercive element in education did not pass without notice.” Ralph Waldo Emerson observed that political leaders call for popular education because they fear that, “This country is filling up with thousands and millions of voters, and you must educate them to keep them from our throats.” Chomsky added, “But, educated the right way, that is, limit their perspectives and understanding, discourage free and independent thought and train for obedience.” In other words, use the public education system to keep the masses, especially African Americans, uneducated, content with subsistence wage servitude, and unable to decipher the schemes of their rich oppressors.

Indeed, according to the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress, “Only18 percent of African American fourth-graders were proficient in reading and 19 percent were proficient in Math. By comparison, the national average for reading by fourth-graders was 36 percent and 40 percent for Math.

Moreover, the eighth-grade numbers were even worse with 16 percent of African American students proficient in reading and 13 percent proficient in Math. By comparison, the national average for reading by eighth-graders was 34 percent and 33 percent for Math.”

In short, this school year will be business as usual as the education system prepares to indoctrinate millions of students to maintain the status quo of the rich few at the top, the normalcy of indebtedness, and the illusion of equal opportunity for success.