The answer to this question, has to consider what education is for. If that is ‘preparation for life’ then is a traditional academic education a good preparation?

Reading and writing and arithmetic have long been recognised as essential skills for life, (although in the future this may be replaced by proficiency with AI interaction with robots!)

After these three basic skills, which can be taught in primary school, what next? Is it necessary and appropriate for modern life, to teach ‘traditional’ subjects such as history, geography, mathematics, languages?

Personally, I think these subjects do not fit with the aim of preparing young people for life. I remember a day in secondary school, when our maths teacher showed us how to fill in a cheque. That was nothing to do with maths but was useful later. Thanks Geoff, for going off curiculum.

Here is my wish list for subjects in secondary education.

Creativity

The Principles of Design and Engineering

DIY for houses, cars, bicycles, clothing, decoration, crafts.

Food Preparation and Diet

Health and Reproduction

Emotional Intelligence

Thinking Skills

Spirituality

Social Interaction

Art and Performing Arts; appreciation and production

Physical Sciences Life

Computer Interaction

Political Science

Travel

No doubt you could add to this list and explore interesting areas where subjects overlap. The important goal is to ‘prepare for life’, not memorise answers or copy what the previous generation is randomly passing on.

The course of a life, in this century in particular, is almost impossible to predict. Previous generations may have had something to pass on, but that is increasingly, no longer true, simply because it will not be relevant. The best that can be done is to hand over life skill tools. These will or might, empower a young adult to survive or thrive, depending on how well they listen!

For example, a course on travel might last just six months. In it a young person will be able to consider objectively;

Choosing a destination

Monetary security

Travel objectives such as new language skills, culture, enjoyment, respecting cultural diversity and sharing.

Travel necessities and packing

Risk assessment and safety

World Politics

Health and Diet

Planet Earth – fauna, flaura, geomorphology, etc.

Recording and Broadcasting

Ethics

Diversity

Ecology, Conservation and Planetary threats

With these skills and many more learnt through necessity through encounters whilst travelling, a young person can explore as much of the world as they are able and wish to.

This is ‘geography’.

When I studied architecture at University for seven years, I entered by first office job at the bottom of the ladder. My office skills were minimal and accordingly, so was my pay.

I had to learn everything that my expensive university courses had omitted. By encountering these office skills and management of building sites, chairing meetings, taking minutes, money management, dealing with clients, problem solving and much more, I was learning on the job. Even after ten years, when I had become proficient, I lacked the knowledge of how to set up in partnership, obtaining a business loan and professional indemnity insurance, seeking clients and self promotion. As a consequence of this, the oversupply of architects by Universities and the roller coaster of boom and bust characteristic of the building industry, I switched to a salaried career in the public sector with a good pension.

I therefore consider myself in a good position to advise young people to be very careful about their prospects to survive or thrive in life. I would add that I am not against young people becoming academics. I just think that this minority should be given this opportunity at University by self selection to specialise in any subject they wish.

The situation is in my view that secondary education establishments are offering a preparation for life. There are many inhibitors doing this, such as the cultural ‘norms’ which produce such concepts as the national curiculum and examinations. To use the well known metaphor – they are handing out fish instead of fishing rods. Even more disempowering than this, is that students are being lead to believe they will automatically thrive in life clutching certificates of academic excellence.

As a result of this (and no doubt other factors such as empowerment in the family, social media, self esteem issues and more), young people are setting off in life being barely able to survive on their own. Perhaps adults living at home, as is common in Europe today, are not only finding it hard to rent a room somewhere else.

I believe that particularly in the UK, there is a dependency culture where the state is relied upon as a benign benefactor, able to intervene when all else fails.

Factor in the endemic ‘dumbed down’ content of media and news, homelessness, mental health issues, drug dependency, unhappiness at work – and it is clear society is in a mess.

The question has to be persistently asked, is the present education system preparing young people for life?