“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of minds to think.” – Albert Einstein
At its core, the school system functions more like a twelve-year sentence, where social conformity and obedience are the only real lessons. The system has remained true to its original purpose: creating obedient workers rather than independent thinkers.
Schools teach exactly what they are intended to teach, and they do it well: how to be a good listener and remain in one’s place in the pyramid. That was the secret Plato reluctantly extorted from Socrates, the plan for total state control of human life, a plan necessary to maintain a society where some people take more than their share. “I will show you”, says Socrates, “how to bring about such a feverish city, but you will not like what I am going to say.” The blueprint for the lessons that should be taught in schools was first created, and John D. Rockefeller and other industrialists further adapted these lessons during America’s industrial expansion. Rockefeller saw education as a way to produce disciplined workers who would fit neatly into the factory system. Schools weren’t built to inspire or teach critical thinking—they were designed to train people to stay in their place in a pyramid structure. The bells that regulate the school day echoing the shift changes in factories, are a symbolic reminder of this. When the bell rings, teachers insist on dropping whatever they have been doing and proceed quickly to the next workstation. They must turn off and on like a light switch.
Pavlov’s learning theory in 1902 identified a fundamental associative learning process called classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is learning when a neutral stimulus (e.g., a tone) becomes associated with a stimulus that naturally produces a behaviour. Years of this conditioning will affect all but the strongest in a world that can no longer offer meaningful and vital work.
The education system conditions students to follow orders without questioning, teaching them that no task is worth finishing and no idea worth delving into fully. The lessons are fragmented, out of context, and designed to produce compliant citizens rather than passionate individuals.
The Lack of Coherence in Education
One of the most concerning aspects of the modern school system is its lack of structure. Education, even in the best schools, needs to be more cohesive. Lessons are taught in isolation, without any clear sequence or integration. Students receive a toolkit of unrelated facts rather than a coherent understanding of the world. This disjointed approach leads students to internalise confusion, mistaking it for knowledge.
The real tragedy is that this confusion seeps into their identity. Instead of fostering curiosity, enthusiasm, or deep thinking, the education system promotes intellectual dependency. Students are taught to wait for others—teachers, experts, authority figures—to tell them what to think. Those who comply are rewarded; those who resist are labelled failures.
Classrooms: Designed for Obedience, Not Growth
Schools are not designed to cultivate individual growth. Instead, they focus on maintaining order and preparing students for an obedient life. The grading system, the rigid curriculum, and the emphasis on following instructions condition students to think that external assessments determine their value.
Through a system of rewards and punishments, schools condition emotional and intellectual dependency. Students learn to conform to authority, believing their future success depends on pleasing others rather than following their passions or questioning the world around them.
A Shift Towards Real-World Education
The education system should offer reliable, meaningful information that helps individuals make informed decisions about their future. Unfortunately, the current system has failed to teach real-world skills or help students understand the broader societal and economic structures.
The system prioritises compliance over creativity, leading to a lack of critical thinking. Instead of fostering independence, schools prepare students to become cogs in the machine, never questioning their place in the hierarchy.
The lessons learned in school are rarely applicable in the real world, particularly regarding economic literacy. Understanding how money and the economy work is crucial, yet schools do little to address these issues, perpetuating a cycle of ignorance and dependency.
Trusting the Wrong Authorities
The authority figures in education—teachers, administrators, and even politicians—are rarely questioned. We are taught to trust them simply because they hold positions of power, but does that trust make sense? What qualifies them to guide society’s future? Is a diploma or a degree enough to prove they are equipped to teach life skills?
The disconnect between real-world experience and academic authority is also evident in higher education. Many professors and psychologists fail to provide meaningful guidance because they lack practical, real-life accomplishments. They can pass on knowledge from textbooks, but can they teach students how to navigate the complexities of life?
People learn best from those they can relate to. If educators don’t reflect the life that students envision for themselves, they may struggle to connect with the material being taught. Many individuals experience difficulty in school because they view the lessons as irrelevant, simply because the individuals teaching them lack real-world accomplishments and experiences. How can these educators help students understand and navigate the world’s complexities without practical accomplishments to draw upon?
A System of Quick Fixes Over Long-Term Solutions
Psychologists often focus on treating symptoms rather than addressing root causes. This approach, prevalent in education and healthcare, perpetuates long-term dependency rather than fostering independence. Focusing on immediate relief rather than understanding and addressing the deeper issues hinders real progress. The focus is on alleviating symptoms to create long-term dependency and sustain profits. This systemic approach fails to address the natural causes of mental health issues, perpetuating the cycle of quick fixes and neglecting the lasting effects of psychological conditioning.
A Call for Change
We need a shift in the education system that prioritises real-world skills, critical thinking, and overall well-being. It’s time to move away from a system that conditions students to accept their place in the pyramid and towards a system that empowers individuals to create meaningful lives.
This shift won’t come from within the system; it must come from external forces willing to question the status quo and demand change. The education system, as it stands, is failing generations of people, trapping them in a cycle of compliance, confusion, and dependency.
We must ask ourselves: What kind of future are we creating when we fail to empower the next generation with the tools they need to think independently, question the world around them, and build meaningful lives?
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