[Orecle]

Formal Education is absolutly necessary and warranted, and fantasising otherwise is like fantasising about a world with no money.

Formal education is about creating a uniformity of standards among people. So if someone got a 1st class degree, you can more often than not have faith in their ability to learn at a certain level.

I dont think people have a problem with learning, I think it is the testing (and sometimes failing) they dont like.

would you really like a world with no formal standerdised system of learning?

When you hire someone for a repair service (health, car, computer), besides word of mouth how are you suppose to qualify them , espiecally before they build up a good word of mouth reputation?

Lets take a field where people dont need formal qualifications. Motor Mechanics. Any one who has ever had a car go wrong knows you play russian roulette when picking a mechanic, including official dealerships - because there is no formal qualifications needed to say what standard.

Can you imagine how the medical profession would be if people did not have to be educated to a certain formal standard. can you imagine the same for airline pilots, engineers, and myriads of other professions that need formal qualification.

Let me ask another hypothetical question
If we took away formal driving lessons and tests, do you think the roads will remain just as safe?

With formal education comes formal testing, and a formal grade that shows us (society) how good the applicant is, rather than rely on how good the applicant says they are. Are there people who are overlooked becoz of lack of formal education, YES. and some companies have let some real gems go as a result. But how often does that happen? The fact is most stars ome from educational institutes.

ie everyone uses the fact that Bill gates and I think Spielberg didnt have formal degrees. - I accept that. But how many of their employees are formally educated to a university standard?