Dual purpose of education

As I read those readings, I began to see the dual purposes that ‘education’ has; a way to enlighten students and a way to blind students. Unfortunately, I think that the latter purpose has been used most of times regardless of if it is for conquering others physically and mentally. For instance, all national curriculums (in my opinion, specifically history curriculum) are designed based on the national or government’s interests, which eventually lead students to believe what they have learned is correct. (Maybe all governments are trying to colonizing their people for the sake of national interests.)One of the best examples can be the history educations on colonialism of Korean and Japan. As I mentioned, the education have made students believe what they are taught by teachers are correct. There is no question to that. More importantly, in order for students to become to believe or accept without questions to teachers, the pedagogy or education that reinforces the hierarchy between teacher and student become very important. I think that is why Mr. Stock had to emphasize that students still need to “capitulat[ing] to ‘older and wiser persons who care for us’” while encourage students to have self-reliance. In addition, education carries out repetition of new ideas and tendencies, which leads students to habitualize those new ideas and tendencies in their daily lives, and eventually lead them to accept those implanted new ideas and tendencies without resistance.

Also, I had to think of the role of education during Japanese colonial era in Korea. There were three different policies; military policing policy, administrative policing policy, and annihilating nation policy (this is what I learned from my education in Korea.) As you can get the sense from the wording, so Korea was strictly ruled by military at the beginning, then, ruled by administrative polices less military rule, and finally annihilating nation policy. During the annihilating nation policy, Japanese colonizers used the education as means to wash Koreaness out of the Koreans. At school, Koreans were taught in Japanese, not allowed to use Korea, and were forcefully recommended to change their last name to Japanese last name. Also, there were many writers who began to write about greatness of Japanese colonization in Korea. Japanese colonizers thought that to completely colonize Korea is to conquer the mentality of the Koreans with the Japaneseness through education. I think the intention of this education system was probably similar to American’s education policy for Indians; to help the Koreans become civilized like Japan which was the first nation of modernization in Asia. This shows that the education was used to blind and mold people based on national interests.

Also the education which put certain people down and make them inferior never can be justified even if it is under good purpose. Do you think the education system which intends to make students understand their potential to be civilized by emphasizing their inferiority is good? I think the education which was used by American ignored the human dignity and the human right to be equal. Also, it was not the society, but the educational system which created the oppressed in the society.