The Goal of Education
Education is the process of facilitating learning to improve knowledge and skills in society. Education can be formal or informal. Formal education refers to the training that is classroom-based and is provided by trained tutors while informal learning refers to the learning that takes place outside the classroom. Informal education includes taking part in activities like storytelling, workshops, and seminars organized by community-based organizations, and after-school programs. Formal education is structured, and there are systems put in place in different countries. Formal education is a full-time education, and defined stages characterize the learning process. Formal education entails primary education, secondary school, and tertiary level education. The training aims at improving the quality of lives of people. In an individual perspective, education may be necessary for ensuring there is job security, attaining professional success, satisfying personal needs, and self-advancement. In the community, training provides social equality and social responsibility among members. Literacy is critical in the running of day to day business activities. Education promotes the growth of businesses. Education is beneficial to all, and the primary goal of education should be imparting skills and knowledge focusing on the students’ demonstration of desired learning outcomes that is competency-based education.
Achieving the desired results in education requires strategy. Plans have to be laid down to implement the goal of education. Implementation of the target should take place in all stages of learning. In the primary level, the purpose is fulfilled by ensuring a competency-based learning system is adopted. At this stage, children should be taught on how to do some chores like cleaning besides the regular course work. Teaching students skills like grooming will help in developing a sense of responsibility and independence amongst themselves. Responsible and independent children bring forth an all-around generation. At the secondary level, this goal can be implemented by introducing talent searching programs. These programs will ensure that children discover their gifts at an early age and work towards the betterment of those gifts. Abilities combined with the regular curriculum will help high school student pick their careers wisely and excel since it will be their area of interest and they will have acquired prior knowledge (Venkataraman, 2009). The state also plays a part in the implementation of the goal of education. The state is concerned with the recruitment of trainers and the development of curriculum to be followed by an institution in the country. The state, therefore, formulates policies to favor the goal.
Internal and external stakeholders play an essential role in the delivery of education. Stakeholders in education are persons who are interested in and have invested in the welfare of the school and its students. To implement imparting skills and knowledge for competence, parents play a critical role. Parents are supposed to ensure that their children complete the assignments given by the tutors. Parents are also supposed to engage children in house chores. Parents should also ensure that their children master those skills through thorough practice. Parents also ought to ensure that their children maintain high levels of discipline to get the intended outcome. Parents should also be ready to provide adequate materials whenever required. Caregivers can also give moral support from counseling and offering spiritual support to their children. Teachers are vital stakeholders in the implementation of the goals of education. Teachers are supposed to encourage teamwork, innovativeness, and creativity in students. Teachers are required to maintain professional ethics and communicate learning progress to parents. By following the stipulated curriculum, teachers will have played a part in delivering the goal of education (Asiyai, 2015). Teachers and parents are therefore essential in the plan to impart competence based skills and knowledge.
Parents and teachers contributions may not be sufficient in ensuring the smooth running of the competency-based curriculum. Schools need to partner with other organizations to improve efficiency. The school will be required to form a board of management to tackle the management issues in decision making for the school. The board should be comprised of qualified personnel to help the heads of institutions run the schools. The committee will be mandated to advise the principals on how to run the institution and enter into contracts on behalf of the school. The state also plays a part in the regulation and standardization of education. The government should form a commission that keeps schools in check and ensuring that they comply with the set rules. The goal can only be achieved once there are accountability and efficiency in learning institutions. Schools require resources in the implementation of competency-based learning. Private organizations such as alumni groups, religious groups, and suppliers help in funding schools. Once a fundraiser is held, private organizations chip in and contribute generously, therefore, assisting in the realization of the goal. Suppliers are also crucial since they waive some of their products in favor of the institutions. The local community is also of great help since they participate in the school’s activities like construction (Asiyai, 2015). External shareholders should also be included in the implementation of the goal of education.
Competency-based education is faced with numerous challenges. Measuring competency in higher education is a difficult task. Courses learned in higher institutions are complex, and some higher learning institutions have students who come from different countries. As a result of the mixture of the students who were under different curriculums in high school, coming up with a uniform way of assessing competency in all the student is quite a hard task. The requirements of professions change with time. The changing of conditions poses a challenge in selecting the criteria to be used in assessing competency in students (Oyugi, 2015). Higher learning institutions play a critical role in building the careers of students. Professionals are modeled in these institutions, and therefore a gap in the evaluation techniques may be detrimental to the industries employing them. There is a need to come up with a flexible method of assessing students in the competency-based education system.
Competency-based education requires a lot of resources. A substantial amount of money is needed for the initiation of the system. Teachers are required to be trained again to be on par with the trends to deliver quality. Carrying out civic education on competency-based education is a process that involves a lot of resources. The trainers have to be equipped with accurate information, so they do not mislead the public. Other people may oppose it and come into a consensus may be quite involving, and a curriculum cannot be imposed on unwilling people. Students may also not appreciate the changes in the education system. The government may also be reluctant in embracing the competency-based education system and policies in place may not be favorable.
Competency-based education has numerous benefits for students and school. Proceeding to the next level in competency-based education requires mastering of concepts. Under this goal, students master the knowledge rather than completing courses at a given period. Competency in education helps the building of careers as skills are learned in the early stages of a student’s academic life. Competency also allows schools to teach career-relevant courses (Cunningham, Key, & Capron, 2016). Under this goal, teachers and students can work in collaboration to bring out the best results. In class, there are quick learners and slow learners. The competency form of education allows the slow learners to learn at their pace and understand things way better and as result productivity in every student is attained. Competency-based education is flexible in that there is no rigid schedule. Students have control over their time and can decide where and when to complete their assignments and projects. Focusing on the student’s demonstration of the desired learning outcome is cost saving in that the tuition fee in some institutions is dependent on how much time is taken to complete a course. Faster students take advantage and end up saving a lot.
Educators benefit in the implementation of competency-based education. The burden on educators is relieved since learning is student-centered. Teachers can understand their students better and teach them according to their pace. Educators can also learn from their students. Engagement of students and tutors creates a suitable atmosphere for learning and tutors can identify their strengths and weaknesses hence increasing their expertise. Competency-based education also improves the computer skills of both tutors and students. Tasks and assignments of different students are issued through computers thus harnessing the power of technology in learning. Teaching is made more accessible since under competence-based teaching, educators guide the students, and there is no schedule. Once the educator gives the assignment, the burden on when to submit the task is on the student. Learning being student-centered reduces conflict between teachers and students as a result of unmet deadlines. A peaceful environment helps educators deliver effectively.
Implementation of competency-based education calls for the teaching fraternity to set up bodies that standardize evaluation under this programme. The goal brings together all stakeholders in the education sector to come up with a standard in education, and therefore unity between professionals and other stakeholders is promoted (Ross‐Fisher, 2017). The success of competency-based education relies on the quality of the assessments. Teachers strive to create quality assessments. Quality assessments in higher learning institutions ensure graduates are well prepared for the job market. Quality graduates are a pride of the society, and the community will appreciate the teachers for that. There will be continuous interaction between teachers and the community since the competency-based education system requires consistent review. Initiation of the goal also needs public participation. Public participation also brings together teaching professionals and the community and bringing on board local communities and members of the profession harness unity.
Competency-based learning helps in tackling issues affecting society. Students carry out in-depth research in their project-related assignments. While researching, students can identify gaps in society and try their best to fill them which is beneficial to the community at large. Society is also going to benefit from the expertise of the students in various fields. Competency-based education satisfies the immediate needs of businesses and professions. Creation of employment fosters economic growth and stability. The competency goal of education helps society embrace all children. Since learning is student-centered, the community can relate and understand that students have different capabilities; therefore, bring equality in society and better social harmony. Research and exploration also bring forth advancement in technology. Competency-based education improves the quality of life of people and enables nations to run smoothly. Educated people live a happier and healthier life and impact the whole community.
Education is essential in improving the quality of lives of people. The quality of education offered should be assessed to give better results. Competency in education is vital since it focuses on mastery. Mastered content cannot be forgotten and is reliable. Expertise requires mastery, and therefore the needs of businesses and employers are met. Student-centered learning makes learning fun since it does not exert undue pressure to students. Competency-based learning should be the primary goal of education for a better tomorrow.
References
Asiyai, R. I. (2015). Improving Quality Higher Education in Nigeria: The Roles of Stakeholders. International Journal of Higher Education, 4(1), 61–70.
Cunningham, J., Key, E., & Capron, R. (2016). An evaluation of competency-based education programs: A study of the development process of competency-Based programs. The Journal of Competency-Based Education, 1(3), 130–139.
Oyugi, J. L. (2015). Rational and Challenges of Competency-Based Education and Training: The “Wickedness” of the Problem. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(14), 74–78.
Ross‐Fisher, R. L. (2017). Implications for educator preparation programs considering competency-based education. The Journal of Competency-Based Education, 2(2), e01044. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbe2.1044
Venkataraman, B. (2009). Education for Sustainable Development. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 51(2), 8–10. https://doi.org/10.3200/ENVT.51.2.08-10