I was educated in a little country that’s currently taking the world down with it. I am thankful to have gone to school there and to have received an education. But looking back at it – and after a lengthy discussion with friends about education in general – I can distil out five elements that characterised and still characterise school education there – and in most countries too.

1. The only appropriate format for learning is: Teacher stands in front of class and talks for 45 minutes, you read your textbook, you learn the lesson, you can successfully recite it next time. If you fail to learn with this format, you’re either lazy or stupid. Either way, we can’t help you.
2. The purpose of education is to achieve the highest grades and get into university (and then get a great job, right?). Whether or not you enjoy the subject should not affect your performance.
3. Knowledge is good, but unless it’s certified and approved by your accredited institution, it’s worthless.
4. Even though you are receiving a broad education, there are only three subjects that have value: Math, Science, and Language/Literature. The rest are just filler. If you’re not performing well in those three core areas, you’re either lazy or stupid. Either way, we can’t help you.
5. Your generation has everything ours didn’t (books, clothing, canned tuna etc). Therefore you have no excuse for not achieving top marks consistently and in every single subject. If you fail to do this, you’re either lazy or stupid. Either way, we can’t help you.