Herd mentality and education – Mark Frendo
Someone once said that true leaders don’t generate followers. Rather, they make sure to support others develop their unique personality. The latter cannot, in any possible way, be attributed to the current state of our educational system. Like it or not, our educational system is built on an authoritarian pedagogy. An authoritarian pedagogy places the learner into a passive position in class. In such a context, students are not being trained to develop an autonomous mindset. Rather, they are being taught how to reproduce what is being taught. Thus, herd mentality. Such a scenario goes down well with the government in power, since they have a passion for passive citizens who, no matter what, accept with great reverence their daily innuendoes. Social control and authoritarian pedagogy, as opposed to supporting students in becoming autonomous and critical thinkers of their surroundings, seems to be the order of the day. In the current educational system, the students’ likes, desires and dreams are being sidelined. Spoon-feeding students with information has become the norm, leaving little or no room for the development of critical thinking. This creates a relationship of...