The Chronicle of a Death Foretold in Education

A research study was recently published in England. According to this study, persistent absenteeism has risen from 10% to 22%. In other words, nearly a quarter of students have stopped attending school. Moreover, their parents have accepted this situation, and despite the penalties imposed, no deterrent effect has been achieved. So, what is the situation here? Of course, we do not have such research data, but we can easily say that even if children physically go to school, they are not there in spirit.

Starting with high school students, children unfortunately no longer want to go to school. This is because the classic school system, both in the world and in Turkey, bores them immensely. They are not entirely wrong. Who would want to stay inside a concrete block of a building from early morning until evening? A heavy curriculum, constant lessons, almost non-existent social activities... In its current state, the school system serves no purpose other than keeping young people in a building from morning to night. Nowadays, high schools have turned into daycare centers for older children. As such, schools have become the modern-day semi-open prisons for students. Everyone is aware that this cannot go on. But no one wants to intervene in this deeply rooted structure, which seems impossible to provide an alternative for.

Just like in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s "Chronicle of a Death Foretold," everyone is aware of the murder, but no one can do anything other than watch. Consequently, every start of the week in schools is practically a 'Chronicle of a Death Foretold.' It is a fact that neither students nor teachers go to school willingly. Everyone is just trying to fulfill their assigned duties. The benefit in the name of education is zero. This old-style school system is the biggest problem facing education not only in Turkey but all over the world. It would be correct to seek the solution to this problem in the students. Educators should listen to students and not ignore their wishes. In this sense, I would like to end my article with the 'Children's Manifesto' created by The Guardian newspaper in 2001 by asking 15 thousand students. Even though it was 23 years ago, the school that children dream of remains valid today. If these wishes of theirs are realized, the school-based education system might also be saved.

The 'Children's Manifesto' published in The Guardian newspaper in 2001

The school we want:

A beautiful school with glass-domed roofs that let the light in, tidy classrooms, and brightly colored walls.

A comfortable school with sofas and beanbags, floor cushions, desks that don't scrape our knees, curtains to block the sun, and quiet rooms where we can rest.

A safe school with entry cards for the school gate, anti-bullying alarms, first aid lessons, and someone to talk to about our problems.

A listening school where children, class representatives, and teachers have a chance to vote on the board of directors.

A flexible school with no rigid schedules or exams, no mandatory homework, and no one-size-fits-all curriculum; so we can follow our own interests and spend more time on the things we enjoy.

A relevant school where we learn through experience, experiment, and discovery, with trips to historical sites and teachers who have practical experience in what they teach.

A respectful school where we are not seen as empty vessels to be filled with information, where teachers treat us as individuals, where children and adults can talk to each other freely, and where our opinions are valued.

A school without walls, where we can go outside to learn, with animals to look after and wild gardens to explore.

A school for everyone, with boys and girls from all backgrounds and abilities, with no grades, so we don't compete with each other, we just do our best.