indoctrinating the masses.

The really hopeless victims of mental illness are to be found among those who appear to be most normal. Many of them are normal because they are so well adjusted to our mode of existence, because their human voice has been silenced so early in their lives, that they do not even struggle or suffer or develop symptoms as the neurotic does. They are normal not in what may be called the absolute sense of the word; they are normal only in relation to a profoundly abnormal society. Their perfect adjustment to that abnormal society is a measure of their mental sickness.

These millions of abnormally normal people, living without fuss in a society to which, if they were fully human beings, they ought not to be adjusted, still cherish the illusion of individuality, but in fact they have been to a great extent de-individualized. Their conformity is developing into something like uniformity. But uniformity and freedom are incompatible. Uniformity and mental health are incompatible too... Man is not made to be an automation, and if he becomes one, the basis for mental health is destroyed.

A Brave New World Revisited, Aldous Huxley*

Most agree that education should embolden our students to accomplish great things...inspire them to become better people...teach them to think for themselves. After all, is this not the purpose of the brain: to attain and apply knowledge through proper self-reasoning and self-contemplation? If you teach a child new words, but he does not have the ability to properly use them in conversation, what is the purpose of this knowledge?

I have always been under the assumption that knowledge is the first step to practical application. Without knowledge, we cannot develop new ideas.

However, let's apply an Huxleian twist to the traditional notion of the purpose of knowledge. What if education was designed as a form of indoctrination. The teacher states the facts, the student regurgitates the facts. What good could come from this situation? Could we function as a society? Could progress occur?

This may seem an odd concept to pose; however, it is not. It's actually quite common in China. From the moment a child enters the classroom at age 6 until his last year as a senior III student, he endures lectures that require him to acquire facts and exams that assess his ability to regurgitate this "knowledge". I am aware of this troubling situation because I swim in its filth everyday. (See Gary's post for more information concerning the plight of China's education system)

Although my students are very bright (they can tell me all about the American government, recite complicated chemistry equations, and read English classics), very few have ever developed the ability to apply their knowledge. For example, if I ask my students about their opinion on a subject, I will receive blank stares coupled with a deafening silence, or the infamous reply "I don't know", or responses that mimic stock phrases found in oral English books. Another example? I cannot simply give oral directions in class. Every direction must be showcased. If I want a student to stand, I must tap his shoulder and provide hand motions. If I want students to act out a scenario, I must provide an example. If I want students to write something down, I must show them a pencil and paper and physically write on the paper myself. It's not a matter of not understanding a foreign language. It's an inability to do or think for themselves. The students were never trained to think...they were trained to regurgitate.

It's an indoctrination of the masses.

The purpose of this post is not to release personal frustration and disappointment. Rather, I prefer to address the larger social and economic problem.

I was recently reading an article from the McKinsey Quarterly titled, "Doing Business in China: A McKinsey Survery of executives in Asia".** I was interested in the article because of its four main topics: the China market, China as a competitor, threats to growth, and assessing and addressing the threats.

As I came to the end of the article, I was surprised by the survey's final poll on "attracting more investments":

When asked where China should invest to make itself a more attractive destination for corporations, executives do not focus their priorities solely on the biggest threats to the country’s growth. Investments in infrastructure and logistics top executives’ wish lists, regardless of sector or company size; 72 percent of executives make this category their first, second, or third priority (Exhibit 6). Education is close behind (70%). Despite the deep concern about income inequality, investments in health care, social security, and rural development are the lowest priorities, even among respondents in China.

China's economic developmental problems revert to its most basic social issue: formal education. If knowledge lacks basic application, it cannot be used for anything. Thus, logistics--the planning, implementation, and coordination of the details of a business or other operation (dictionary.com)--cannot develop. Nor can infrastructure--the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization (dictionary.com)--ever occur. Without these two essential elements, a business cannot survive--much less thrive.

Unfortunately, China produces masses of intelligent--but useless--people. If you doubt my assessment of the situation, I encourage you to seek the opinions of those who have first hand experience, such as my father or his friends. Teaching their employees to think for themselves has been the biggest challenge, disappointment, and overall failure they have endured for years.

Albert Einstein once said, "It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education". In China, I believe it is a miracle that any curiosity exists at all.

*In 1958, Aldous Huxley wrote 12 essays that revisited the concepts and topics he addressed in his novel, A Brave New World. This is an excerpt from one of the essays.

**"The McKinsey Quarterly conducted the online survey in January 2007 and received 253 responses from C-level executives in Asia."