Today’s debate about the future of traditional education is heated due to the increase of expectations by the students and their families by sides, and the high demand for excelling and specialisation by the traditional work market. The pressure on the education system is beyond designing impeccable curricula to train doctors or engineers only.
To understand the disastrous effects of such, we need to go to the root of the problem. Unfortunately, some parents, who were educated by using the traditional education system, they think that any time spent on other subjects unrelated to the future profession that they, most of the time, set for their children, is a waste of energy and time. However, the reports by educators and psychologists confirm the opposite. It is well established among the scientific community that students need to be distracted from time to time with activities such as sports, art, reading, or even video games to recharge their energy and get them out of the “bleh” mood. These activities might even help to identify tremendous talents and skills within these students. Skillsets that could enhance their performance. Educators see that growing talents such as critical thinking by reading reading philosophy, or taking acting classes helps students to cope with the potential stress and keep their focus on the things that matter for them It helps them to be happier and decrease the impact of the educational stress on their mental health for a long-lasting intact psychological coherence with the day-to day stress.
I see myself as a victim of the traditional education system. I was a bookworm student. I never wanted to go out to play in the playground; I had no teenage crisis. I was fully dedicated to my studies; I became a doctor with decent success. However, the competition today is fierce, and the lack of some skills or even some social talents affected my promotion. My employers didn’t see me as good enough until I worked on that. Honestly, I wish my parents would let me participate in school activities. At least, I would have been able to build a solid knowledge of how to navigate the daily challenges of social and professional life. For instance, in the new evaluation of students majoring in biomedical research, there are requirements for good communication and writing skills, which implies the importance to be an avid reader of literature, beyond standard English. Imagination needs to be out of this world, to solve problems, and critical thinking is a must to put in perspective and keep objectivity in case of any discoveries. Solving a math problem or memorising by heart the body anatomy won’t help to develop such skills.
Nowadays, employees including doctors and engineers must work on their career development. The emergence of artificial intelligence tools and the need for quick and efficient solutions required multi-disciplinary teams including artists, and thinkers, to join in any team that would describe itself as an innovator.
In conclusion, I think the education system has gone way ahead, yet it needs to keep innovating itself to fulfill the needs of the students and to equip them with any possible tool to build their way in their careers in the future.