Prudence and Madness

“Isn’t that the purpose of school? To help you pass your exams?”

The conversation between the high school girl and her father came to mind, as I was watching Hermione in the Harry Potter 5 movie. She was saying that school weren’t concerned anymore about the students learning, but rather they’re simply preoccupied with the students memorizing prescribed school books (but not understanding it or applying the concepts) so as to pass examinations.

That stuck with me and it made me realize how similar the situation of the fantastic Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is with what’s happening in our very own schools.

The greater emphasis on grades has been the prevailing belief back in my high school days and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is still the current trend. Ask any high school student why he is studying and most probably he’d tell you he’s doing it so “he could pass his exams”. Only few would admit to a goal of being truly educated. Many students would even go as far as giving “special favors” to faculty members or even to administrative officers just to add some points to their grades, especially those who’re after making it or maintaining status in the honors’ list. And, of course, some scrupulous people will take advantage of this certain situation to make few bucks themselves. Also, many of you have your own share of horror stories about classmates who’d do anything, even hurt or deceive their own classmates and friends, just to gain an advantage in a particular exam.

Yes, we know the importance of getting good grades. Aside from making parents happy and repaying them for their hardwork just to send their kids to good schools, good grades help in giving students the edge to get into the best colleges and work opportunities. But believing that we only go to school so that someday we may be able to work will make us only see institutions for education as mere diploma mills, which shouldn’t be.

Maybe one of the contributing factors to the decline in quality education in this country is this students’ lack of passion for learning. Students have begun to see the math, the philosophy, the languages, and the sciences as something they’ve to get over with so that they could finally work. They see it as if it’s just a stumbling block, instead of seeing it as essential tools on their way to becoming part of the productive workforce.

See, how can you love something if you only see it as a means to an end?

Maybe they’re thinking, “Who needs to do geometry everyday anyway? Why do we need to understand Nietzche? Why learn poetry? Why care to know the elements in the Periodic Table? What use do I have for these?” For some, these have become intangible matters that are impractical to spend much time into. And such is unfortunate, indeed, because only by realizing that by knowing these things, possibilities for progress can become endless.

Just too bad that this country’s government has not set education as its top priority. It cannot even afford (or refuses to afford) quality textbooks for use in our public schools. Authors can’t get their historical facts and even their grammar right! And what, these are the books that our parents wants us to spend time reading?

Also, it’s rather unfortunate that the government would rather give bigger allocation for those that are obviously seen and appreciated, such as infrastructures, perhaps to give an illusion of economic progress where there is none. But what perhaps the numbers aren’t telling the government is that well-educated citizenry is what makes a progress nation, not a bunch of good-looking highways or airports that only few can use.

I just hope that, like Hermione and the other members of Dumbledore’s Army who found a way to educate themselves, students nowadays will try to find ways so they could learn effectively despite the dismal system of education we currently have.

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So, who says there is nothing good in reading books like Harry Potter? The older folks may be forgetting that these kind of books can be more reflective of the current social and political conditions than some of the outdated mode of teaching used in schools today.

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I do resent that the production decided to outfit and accessorize Professor Umbridge with pink. Or maybe they just want to send across the message that sometimes the seemingly harmless, happy-looking people are the most dangerous ones that we need to be careful of? Hmmm…