Education in an ‘ideal state’ – just a platonic dream!
Plato deemed education as the most significant thing in life. So many centuries later, education still is the most significant thing! However, many things have changed with the passage of time. There has been a drastic paradigm shift in education in terms of ‘what to learn’ and ‘how to learn’. There is a greater thrust on ‘assessment’ than there is on ‘real’ learning.
Even at a time when it was believed that knowledge and learning were vested with a privileged group of Erudite and Elite in society, a great philosopher like Plato claimed that the quintessential purpose of Education is not to fill minds with knowledge, but, rather to illuminate the soul, to earn the ability to live a virtuous life. We certainly may want to define ‘virtue’ in our own right; I doubt a great discrepancy in the attempt to interpret the same though. In short, the key focus of Platonic education was simply the ‘common good’ of mankind. Is that too lofty an ideal to work towards?
I think, no time is better than today to promote the ideals of Plato on education; perhaps, in snatches, to avoid opening doors to controversy and resentment. Plato advocated that, Early education ought to focus on everything that would inculcate a love for learning in young, impressionable minds: play, story-telling, music & arts. In addition, early schooling must heavily focus on developing the physique and mental health of children. We must be able to nurture individuals who possess ‘sound minds’ in ‘sound bodies’. During the formative years, if learning is forced up on young minds, it is going to have nothing but adverse effects, with children reeling under pressure; detesting school, teachers and learning. Knowledge acquired in a controlled environment will have little hold on the mind, and will fail in terms of producing any authentic outcomes. What a sad state of affairs!
As far as higher education is concerned, Plato recommends ‘benchmark’ exams at strategic intervals to assess current learning and evaluate the potential for advanced learning. These exams must help glean individuals for various occupations/careers in society with the most competent of the lot, making it to the levels of leadership and governance. Thus, a successful educational system would be able to nurture an ‘ideal state’ where all the citizens would be ‘just, honest & happy’. A platonic dream indeed!