Ideally, what should be said to every child, repeatedly, throughout his or her school life is something like this: 'You are in the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of education that is not a system of indoctrination. We are sorry, but it is the best we can do. What you are being taught here is an amalgam of current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be. You are being taught by people who have been able to accommodate themselves to a regime of thought laid down by their predecessors. It is a self-perpetuating system. Those of you who are more robust and individual than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself - educating your own judgements. Those that stay must remember, always, and all the time, that they are being moulded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular society.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Lessing argues schools inevitably indoctrinate students with cultural prejudices and should encourage independent judgment.
- In plain terms
- Schools teach current prejudices, so students should learn to think independently.
- What can you take from it?
- Education involves unavoidable biases, so students must develop critical thinking.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can education ever be neutral?
- How do you resist indoctrination?
Another view
Some foundational knowledge requires structured teaching rather than pure independence.
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