Education is one of the most important ideological apparatuses of the capitalist state.
Althusser (2008) drew attention to two points in defining the function of education. The first is the reproduction of labor power; the second is the reproduction of submission to the rules of the established order. These two functions of education are realized through various institutions in the education system, especially schools.
In the 19th century, with the emergence of the factory system, the chain of command in factory management, the mass production system and the division of labor among employees increased productivity in all products produced.
Educators of the same period developed a school system in line with this factory system.
As in all mass production lines, the school system consists of different stages. Children are divided into classes according to their age, headed by teachers who are similar to foremen as in factories. Children pass exams to move on to the next stage.
Like factory owners, education authorities dictate a standard program to the school principal and teachers for implementation. Teachers have less influence in the school than the foreman has in the factory. Boards and commissions in schools are also nothing more than a show. With these missions, schools do nothing more than fulfill Alhusser's two functions of education.
Since its inception, this school system has divided children into smart kids and dumb kids. Just as in the factory system, workers who do not fit into the production line are fired or paid according to performance, students who fall behind in the school system are labeled as learning disabled, slow learners or learning disabled.
As a rule in the school system, it has been assumed until recently that all students learn in the same way, and even if they do not learn in the same way, learning will take place by subjecting them to the same program. Teacher-centered education; the classroom system in which the teacher provides motivation, discipline, measurement and evaluation has come to this day.
The school model to replace this school system has not yet emerged. In short, the question of how far to go with the school system inherited from the industrial age is on the agenda of all education politicians. This is because the school system excludes millions of people from the production system and ignores their existence, except for a handful of ‘successful’ students who achieve the desired success.
Just as the production system of the industrial age speeds up the production lines and increases productivity, the school system of the industrial age speeds up children's course load, the program they need to learn, and tries to measure their productivity with the exam system. Children's burden increases as time passes. Experts have stated that in times of stress and fear, the speed of the human brain decreases and it is not possible to know whether learning is taking place or not.
In this sense, it is long overdue to replace the school system of the industrial age with a more democratic alternative school model that prioritizes children's right to education, where all their capacities and talents will be revealed and full learning will be ensured...
*Althusser, L. (2008). Ideology. State's Ideological Devices. Ithaki Publishing House. Istanbul