In existing systems in a significant part of the world, you see a serious contradiction between what people are talking about and what should be. People talk about justice, right and law, but you don't see them in the judicial system. People talk about monetary policies, trading, import-export, markets, but there is often a depression in business life.
People talk about health, sports, culture, art, development and progress, but you will find these beauties in very few areas. People talk about morality, goodness, helping each other, the poor, the poor, the consent of Allah, but in practice you witness the opposite behavior.
People talk about education, reading, writing, researching, thinking, reasoning, opinion, discussion, self-criticism, collective work, but you don't find that in schools or universities.
This is where the main point should be emphasized: The education system. Many of you have heard, Emrullah Efendi, one of the former ministers of National Education, has a saying:
“If it were not for these schools, I would have managed this education very well.”
People generally made fun of Emrullah Efendi over this statement. I was wondering if Emrullah Efendi said this word deliberately and we did not understand it. I'm really not kidding.
If the situation of the schools in Emrullah Efendi's time was the same as it is now; which I'm guessing is probably much better than it is now, isn't that a good word? While everyone is reading and recommending Ivan Illich's Unschooled Society to each other, it is good, but when Emrullah Efendi talks about schools, why is it bad, why is it made fun of? Schools really need to raise qualified people, but is that the reality? How many of you are satisfied with the national education system today? Probably, if we do a survey, there will be at least 70% dissatisfaction. The operating areas of this system are not schools? Anyway, without going into too much detail, let's end by sharing a few important points with you.
If you look at the education system and the practices in schools today, you will see how irrelevant it is to real life, how much this system provides or fails to provide what we need in real life. Isn't the multiple choice exam system one of the biggest obstacles to reasoning? How will people who will do collective work be trained in an education system conducted with individual exams?
With what production can a youth who is constantly told "do what you are told and shut up" come before you tomorrow? What opinion can he have or freely express his opinion? Each question can have multiple answers, multiple solutions. How many of our teachers are aware of this? What will you expect tomorrow from a system that burns children who make mistakes today? How can a person learn without making mistakes, how can he improve himself? Could it be such nonsense? Now we are faced with an individual, uncooperative youth, self-interested, incapable of producing solutions, constantly looking for an answer key, and waiting for answers when you ask something. How was this youth brought up? Sorry, how was this youth not brought up, anyone ask?
Is there a mass that can make self-criticism, think, research, discuss, reason, make inferences, present new ideas, make projects, and act together from a place where there is always only one answer and no other answer is accepted? Is such a thing possible? Do not lament why these children are so paralyzed, what is this laziness, no soul, no excitement or something. Everything has a reason. Focus on the reasons. We have a system that destroys our children's love, excitement, curiosity, love of learning, and shining eyes. After killing our children spiritually before they finish secondary school, there is no point in expecting anything bodily.