Sir Ken is one among many people who see the symptoms of the underlying education problem, and think that giving speeches will cure the disease.
The problem is deep-seated and fundamentally institutional. We currently have an government-owned K-12 education system with about 50M students and 10M adults largely run according to the dictates of a central education authority, the Department of Education.
Large institutions work for mass production. McDonalds works because every Big Mac is pretty much the same (by design) as every other Big Mac. No innovation is required. Just follow the rules precisely and the Big Mac will come out the same every time.
Children are not Big Macs. Every child comes out of the womb unique, and acquires more differentiating attributes every minute of its existence. To think that one standardized process would work for 50M unique children is insanity. To support the learning of an individual child requires individualized attention.
This homogenization of education leads to a culture of infantilization. In Ben Franklin’s day, kids moved on to adulthood in their early teens. Now, thanks in large part to our modern education system (and our modern economy), kids barely leave home before they’re 30.
Our whole society needs a “Reset” button.
Excellent post. Thank you.