Can Education be considered Indoctrination also?

Question

Can Education be considered Indoctrination also?

Answer 1

i think it would depend on what type of and how the knowledge is being imparted.

if no other view points or perspectives & criticisms are incorporated in the syllabus/topic, then students will not get to see the whole picture. they will not be able to choose and form their own opinions or make informed decisions.

this I would call indoctrination of ideas/knowledge.

similarly, how one is taught can also lead to indoctrination. eg. in schools following a strict regimen where students have no scope or right to question, discuss, ..they simply have to follow all rules irrespective...

i would term this an indoctrination of attitude/behavior becoz the student imbibes it into his adult self too.

i think the former may be the lesser of two evils since you can rectify your knowledge relatively easily later on - through books, media, interaction with others, etc....provided one is willing & open.

but attitudinal & behavioral change is more difficult to bring about and as a parent or professional you tend to carry on the legacy of your strict/closed education system....thus "infecting" future generations too.

another subtle process also goes on especially in some countries - more like a side-effect. eg. in developing or underdeveloped countries where dignity of labour is lacking, if one gets a proper english school education, then these students do not like to take up blue-collar jobs. they would rather go in for even lesser paying jobs as long it is a white-collar one....so here, societal values along with education bring about some kind of indoctrination ...

oh dear, i've rambled on.

so what are your own thoughts/views? see, if i didn't ask this, i'd be guilty of imposing my views on you ;-))

all the best