Our education system is a sham

THE education system in this country is nothing but a corrupt sham packed with holidays and numerous days off for pupils that are only going through the motions.

In effect, pupils are spending more time out of school than in school, with a cacophony of breaks and half days for every excuse under the sun. A culture has also been developed in some schools to take unauthorised “in-service days” by the school’s management, which are paid for by the taxpayer while the school is not teaching. Children seem to be spending most of their time with their parents running around shopping centres screaming their heads off, than at home studying for those difficult exams.

Ironically, recent amendments by the Government to effectively abolish the exam system is all the proof anyone needs of an education system losing all direction and becoming indifferent. It will not be too long before pupils will not have to attend school at all the way things are going, or do any kind of an exam that is not decided by an arbitrary merit process of endearment.

The educational role itself within schools has been diminished substantially in lieu of preferential access points to a job system that is equally corrupt. We have parents driving their children long distances to schools with a lot of clout, even though there is a school in the village that they live in.

The word seems to get out that a particular school is good at pulling people in the door to jobs by various methods and parents flock there in droves and actually have to put their name down years before their child gets in there.

National schools in times gone by were not considered elite institutions, but have certainly become that and are now in the business of putting their hands out for all kinds of imbursements from parents in converting the public schooling system into a semi-private affair.

Even our heralded community schools are now insisting on a minimum standard to be achieved before they will let a pupil in the door with an intensive and bureaucratic interview processes.

The education system that currently exists is a waste of public money and would be better off being converted into private employment agencies for those who have access to the grapevine and can get in the door of our so-called public schools.

Maurice Fitzgerald

Shanbally

Co Cork