3.b.11 – Can we talk about freedom of education?
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Can we talk about freedom of education?
Culture, of course, is a fundamental resource of human beings, also considering a single individual. One of the key parts of our culture is the one given by the schools and it is commonly called education; being able to access to schools, high schools, universities and to all possible sources education is indeed a very important freedom, which was considered only an impossible dream until a few decades ago. Freedom of access to education alone, anyway, is not enough; it is made fruitless in case of inefficient schools, which do not prepare well our children or even provide them a poor education; even worse if they are not able to protect them from forms of bullying and by contact with various types of drugs; a first enemy of freedom of education is given by the poor quality of schools.
A second danger comes from the closed number classes in public universities, born precisely to ensure to everyone the possibility of a higher education; without doubts, over time the population of students has increased to excess, but limiting the access can be regarded as an acceptable solution? If patients would increase, would we build new hospitals or make hospitals with limited access number? Why can we build new hospitals, but no new universities? Also add that these Universities are not free and that the increase of the fees is another obstacle to access.
For example in Italy we have today undoubtedly an access to education much higher than a hundred years ago, but compared to 25 years ago there clearly has been a step back, both for a reduction in quality of the service and for an increase in costs and for the introduction of limited admission. Freedom of access to culture is a good to be protected because it is going through an objectively very difficult period that can cause severe damage. The limitation of education is not only a foreclosure for the individual, but represents a serious threat to the community that cannot fully exploit its human resources; today, in full adaptive emergency, we cannot afford such a waste.
FURTHER INFO
CULTURE
THE FAMOUS CASE
RUDOLF STEINER
