Education and the Value of Knowledge

Abstract

One of the many recurring problems that besets education as a discipline is that many of the thorny issues it raises remain contested without much hope or sign of definitive solutions in sight. Problems in education that baffled both practitioners and theorists alike in the past are still hotly debated, dividing teachers and curriculum specialists into opposing schools of thought. The ultimate ends of schooling, the instructional methods teachers should adopt in the classroom, and the means by which students should be evaluated are some of the many issues that fail to yield overriding agreements amongst those engaged in educational debates. The place and status of knowledge in the curriculum is another issue that spurs acrimonious discussions. While some uphold the transmission of knowledge as a worthwhile educational endeavor, others view it as both a meaningless and inane undertaking that should have a more marginal place in schools. The purpose of this present study is to show that the core criticisms voiced by those critical of the teaching of knowledge don’t seriously undermine its importance.