Train conversations...
Lately I've been traveling a lot by metro and train. Great way to meet people... or end up in some interesting conversations.
Last week when I came back from an AIESEC presentation at one of the universities here, I took the train to go back home and was talking to a friend of mine about the education system here in Spain. After a while a random person just entered the conversation and we ended up discussing the whole educational system here in Spain from ground school to university.
So why does this interest me so much? Well mainly because frankly speaking, the educational system kinda sucks here! In general students are so damn passive, they don't feel the need, see the use and are motivated to do anything besides going to class and obtain some stupid paper saying that they graduated in some study. Great, having a paper just to boost up your ego, confidence in getting a future job, but in he meantime, nothing learned. At least nothing useful! I might be offending people at this moment, and I apologise for that! But students in Spain are not even enouraged to be proactive. They go to class, professor talks, they take notes (or not) and go home. Day after day after day, for any years. In college it's not better either, the system is so passive, as if professors and teachers think that books and articles are enough to make it in life.
It's just so frustrating to see people throwing away valuable time they could use to learn valuable things, explore the world. Why stick to your little limited environment while you can explore the world? Why don't people see the use of doing something. Why only 30 people show up at an AIESEC presentation, while the entire student population is 15.000 ?
Why do universities, professors, college, tutors, schools, teachers not encourage proactivism? An entire generation that is not aware of their potential, of the opportunities that lie at their feet. Passiveness, unaware of the impact that natural disasters have in Guatamala, Paqistan, Mexico etc...
What can I do as AIESECer if the universities do not even support or encourage being a "leader" what kind of graduates are we delivering. Some days I just feel powerless here! In order to reach out, I need to change not only a culture but a whole educational system starting at elementary school!!!!
Great challenges, but where to start! What a shame... when will people at government agencies, insitutions finally get the message that we don't need straight A's, we need people who are proactive, aware and not caught up in their small little environment worried if they will have an 8. or 8.6 (scale 1 to 10) for their exam!
posted by Kevin at 12:25 AM
2 Comments:
Reading about Ukraine...and our ssytem of education...
The only difference might be that people are trying to do something - students are trying to go outside the box, graduates... but only SOME, and not all.. and even those SOME are limited by Education system they live in for years until they realize it's wrong. They can do so much, but they don't know how to change the system...
sad...
4:11 PM
Hey Kevin, How are you doing? Haven't seen you in MSN for quite some time. :) Hey, be tough :), May be take it as your preparation (if you still wanna come to AP MC:P)it'll be tougher in AP coz people here in AP mostly value academic results..especially in Singapore..You have to get straight A's to get good job.And people are not so willing of changes, prefer the 'normal'way like what their seniors did. So, students rather study. That's the mindset of AP people!Very frustrating to know that some of your people don't have that much sense of belonging and passion for AIESEC. Students join clubs,soceities and org like AIESEC to get 'CCA Points' which students need to collect to stay in campus hostel. Imagine, eventhough they are excellent people, passed selection interview, went through induction and the first question they asked was 'How many CCA points can i get in AIESEC' .Disappointed. ironic, in Sg however, students are aware of the importance of experience working outside Sg(maybe to make their resume looks nicer) ..so some just want to take AIESEC as their means to do so, never want to contribute or learn, so it's always a challenge during recruitment. I am not sure, but i heard our MCs tend to be burnt out after one year..or may be just in Singapore :P Anyways, Keep it up Kevin!! You are doing great and making changes already, at least to the people that are inspired by your level of motivation. :)
2:42 AM
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