All generations have questioned the purpose of the School. The answers they have given vary according to the times. The transmission of cultural, national or religious values which often constitute the foundations of a society remains at the forefront of these reasons.
The Church and the Nation being institutions that have been considerably devalued and their normative powers having crumbled, other forces have had free rein to proliferate and occupy the spheres of power left vacant. The new leaders have understood the dismay of the populations with regard to the traditional values that once had their confidence and have proposed other responses.
While religion promised paradise after death and the state predicted prosperity, health and security for generations to come, financial power has for several decades and until recently offered immediate improvement in living conditions and the pleasures of consumer society. A new culture of mass consumption has taken hold, serving the interests of the masters of the hour.
In this vast movement that has gradually led to contemporary individualism, the educational institution has undergone a profound change. Through the values it promotes, the School aims to give the social fabric a minimum of cohesion and to support the powers in place. Is it not still a creature of the State, whose subjection to financial powers is no longer in doubt in this era of economic globalization?
Identify
The transmission of religious and national values has fallen into disuse to be replaced by the predominance of those resulting from scientific and entrepreneurial culture. The world of technosciences which frames economic activity is taught from a very young age to establish technical and professional skills to cope with the changing demands of the workplace.
Of course, this access to work becomes a sine qua non condition for having a minimum purchasing power that is compatible with an acceptable standard of living that will bring our vision of paradise on earth to fruition.
It is therefore not surprising that this new culture finds instant takers. Professional identity thus grants itself the lion’s share of a personal identity that is out of balance. The School has made this vision its own, to the point of including advertising of all kinds within its walls and programs.
Companies are discovering a civic vocation and the University of Consumption integrates this vision within the framework of a new cultural normality centered on science, technology and entrepreneurship.
From the outset, globalization exerts its influence on educational issues by fueling a global economic war that focuses values on a rather reductive pragmatism. Shouldn’t each society face global competition to stand out from a merciless game at the risk of losing its jobs, its social safety net, the autonomy of its government or its national culture?
The trick is as old as the hills: create an external danger to encourage adherence to values and policies that the emergency justifies, but which risk being foreign to the meaning of Man.
Assignment
Isn’t the School in danger of losing its soul by reducing its mission to the simple rank of transmission belt of consumerist and entrepreneurial values? Its new role of education for citizenship gives hope when we consider the omnipresence of individualism and ambient cynicism. It was urgent to act to counter this trend towards fragmentation and social demobilization.
But what should we think of the orientations advocated by these programs when the company assumes a civic role while providing free educational materials? The conflict of interest is more than apparent. Professional and social identities may gain in coherence and productivity, but what about the solidity of individuals if the whole person is ignored?
The many psychosocial problems afflicting young people clearly demonstrate the shortcomings of a general education and a culture focused on intellectual knowledge to the detriment of self-knowledge and personal balance that would take into account the emotional intelligence of individuals.
It is fortunate that teachers are not fooled by these strategies and know how to discern the varied needs of the generations of young people who pass through their classes. Without this beneficial influence, there would be reason for concern.
Given the forces at play, the urgency still dictates that we find creative solutions to prevent the School from becoming nothing more than a tool for the masters of the hour, to the detriment of its overall mission of awakening to the meaning of life.