Sir Ken Robinson trying to change education paradigms

Sir Robinson is one of my favorite characters of all time, as he expresses eloquently everything I stand for in terms of education and how it should look like.

First time I got to know about him was his TED talk:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

And then recently I saw his latest work – the most explicite and eloquent explanation of why our education systems need to be changed, and moreover why we need to completely change our way of thinking. Err, they need to change the way of thinking. I always thought differently.

Why?

Being an undergraduate for ages already and trying to get a diploma in the archaic education system of Serbia (the rest of world is not much better, to be fair), so that I can finally be accepted and taken seriously when the bosses plan salary budgets, I’m often pissed off because the very system I’m forced to follow has never thought me anything I know today, nor has given me tools that I’m using in everyday life or work. Almost everything I know I learned through experience and non-formal learning, mostly while volunteering in AIESEC, and also by working with some fantastic people in my 10 years of working experience. University? Not really.. I mean, how can it help me when I have to, for example, learn what the hard drive is made of (IT Management Subject). Who the hell cares? etc etc…

And what happens when I ask why the hell do I need a University diploma to do my job, to get a promotion or simply a salary raise? I get one of 2 possible answers:

1. “You don’t have the proof to have the knowledge to do the job.” (note: there is no University in Serbia that teaches you what I do – People Development, Social Responsibility, Social Entrepreneurship)

2. “It’s the procedure, we can’t do anything about it.” (of course you can, you just don’t want to – you want me to suffer just like you did)

3. “I know you are good and deserve a raise/promotion, but you know, it wouldn’t be fair to others and people will talk/ask questions.” (very common and shows just how stupid we are – it’s not important to keep me satisfied and productive, but what people will say)

I’m sure I’m not alone in this. This happens to many people around the globe every day. And worst thing is – our bosses often “don’t understand” (to say the least) why we don’t want to accept these conditions and are changing jobs, or they simply mark us as “damn Generation Y” – as if that is a bad thing. Let’s face it: we are slaves of the stupid system with wrong values and we are expected to “fit in”.

Now, spare 10 more minutes and watch what Sir Ken Robinson has to say:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

What do you think about it? Are you facing similar issues? What would you do if you had your own company?