What is the purpose of higher education? This is the age old question that has been asked and will likely continue to be asked for generations to come. There have been many expert opinions declared in books and articles, from Arum and Roksa, to Louis Menand, to Paulo Freire. In my research of this question, I noticed that frequently great thinkers who have differing views also share some of the same concepts and ideas in their individual theories, which helped me decide what I personally believe is the purpose of higher education.
Freire asserts that the purpose of education ought to be to teach students how to think critically and learn how to influence improvement in society and moral standards. He wants to raise a new generation to innovate new ways of operating politically and socially, so that we are not continually stuck in a cycle of ineffective and even harmful political structures. (Giroux, 2010).
I could see some of the same ideals characterized in Louis Menando’s theories about education, yet he brought the perspective of privilege to the table. The idea of college has been so glorified that now it is viewed as a status symbol or just the gateway to that job you want so badly because they require a bachelor’s degree. There is no real passion behind the learning and that’s why students devote so much less time to study and are assigned so many less readings, etc, according to Menando (Menando, 2011).
From my readings of Freire and Menando’s ideas, I have solidified what I believe is the purpose of higher education. I believe that the purpose is to teach us how to critically think of the world but also to learn vocational skills and then how to apply our critical thinking to those vocational skills. One cannot become a useful member of society if he has new ideas to try and yet has no knowledge of the earlier ideas and how they work. I personally have seen the mentalities he is talking about and have even succumbed to them myself. The goal often set is that job you want four years down the road and you forget to enjoy the ride. College is about bettering yourself and learning more about the world and how it works. This experience, however, is not the entire show. In order to truly grow as a person and learn about the world, you must take your classroom experiences and combine them with your real-life experiences in order to create the perfect mix that trains you into the unique person you need to be to succeed and contribute to bettering the world.
References
Giroux, Henry A. “Rethinking Education as the Practice of Freedom:
Paulo Freire and the promise of critical pedagogy.” Policy Futures in Education. Volume 8 No 6. 2010.
Menand, Louis. “Live and Learn: Why We Have College.” The New Yorker. 30 May 2011.
Clarity with Clara 