What has School not taught us?
Are we truly ready to take on what’s ahead of us from school?
School plays a major part in our society: it is our first exposure to literacy, problem-solving skills, social issues – to put it simply, our first exposure to the entire world. It is unsurprising that throughout the world, we are constantly discussing and debating the right way to shape our system as ideally as possible, raising intelligent, critical thinkers who will contribute to society.
Most of us walk into school every day and might wonder: Why are we learning this? For many of us, the purpose of education may seem unclear. Why do we need to memorise the Pythagorean theorem? Why do we have to identify a simile and a metaphor?
We assume school is our stepping stone to a prosperous career, moulding future generations to be ready for the workforce. However, that may be far from reality–many employers face challenges of finding a suitable candidate equipped with the right skills, a phenomenon identified by Forbes 2025 as ‘skill gap’.1 Our education system has created millions of ‘academic robots’, but not a leader and critical thinker that many employers are fishing for among the sea of applicants. This leads us to ponder: What is the true purpose of the education system? And what school hasn’t taught us, that leads to so many of us being unprepared for the world of the workforce?
China: The Classic Exam-based System
As a rapidly developing country, the Chinese education system aims to build a strong foundation in technical skills rather than soft skills to meet the demanding economy. Memorisation is a major focus in the system, from formulas in mathematics to classical texts and poems in literacy classes. It is believed that a strong foundation is essential to achieve a deep and comprehensive understanding.2
It is well regarded that Chinese students are academically capable; however, there is a scarcity of ‘outstanding’ Chinese performers relative to their large population. Compared to India, having a lower GDP per capita and education attainment than China, India managed to produce many more standouts than China.3 Many CEOs of prestigious industries such as Google, Microsoft, and Adobe are of Indian origin. According to The Times of India, up to 62% of Indian-origin leaders graduated from Indian institutions.4 Given their high academic achievements, it is striking that they have significantly fewer outstanding performers.
Due to the system’s intense focus on memorisation and exam scores, many Chinese students lack creativity, critical thinking and imagination – fundamental skills for cultivating outstanding performers. Chinese students are seen as reserved and obedient, not only due to their rigid learning system but also their classroom ethics. Teachers are placed on a high pedestal, posing as highly respected, authoritative figures.5 This prevents students from questioning or challenging ideas, hindering the development of critical and creative thinking. Due to the memorisation and obedience towards authority, Chinese students lack the skills to take on leadership or innovative roles in society.
United Kingdom: Lack of Respect for Teachers
The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer remarked that the greatest challenge faced by teachers is, surprisingly, a ‘lack of respect’.6 The striking contrast between classroom dynamics in China and the UK illustrates two extremes: rigid obedience versus excessive liberty.
According to NASUWT, a major teachers’ union of 17500, a survey shows that a third of teachers do not feel respected as professionals.7 The recent Netflix hit, Adolescence, depicts a chaotic portrayal of British state schools: disruptive students, addiction to social media, teachers’ lack of authority over students, slothful teaching methods, severe bullying and violence and lack of discipline. Many English teachers had expressed their shock at the accuracy of the show’s depiction.8
A lack of respect for teachers, by both parents and students, deters bright and qualified teachers from entering the position. Without authority, many teachers struggle to conduct lessons effectively as they can’t manage disruptive and uncooperative students. This leads to immense pressure placed upon teachers’ shoulders, thus they are unable to deliver a good quality education.
British students have been falling behind their expected standards due to the declining quality of education. For example, their mathematical skills lag behind those of their Shanghainese peers of the same age by 3 years. According to the OECD, the UK is ranked 25th in the world for reading, 28th for maths and 16th for science, a disappointing outcome given the investment poured into education and the advanced economy. Students' lack of respect towards teachers hinders the quality of education, consequently leading to a failure of students to perform up to standard.
Issue with the Age-based Progression Schooling System
The purpose of the education system is to ‘empower learners to be adaptive, ethical and collaborative’, said Ms. Hema A/P Letchamanan, setting the tone for her views about the education system. I had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Hema, a senior lecturer at Taylor’s University School of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences & Leisure Management.
Ms. Hema pointed out the gap in education because of the age-based progression schooling system. For a long time, she focused on the accessibility of schooling for disadvantaged children, but then realised another problem: ‘Just because someone is going to school, doesn’t mean they’re learning.’ She pointed out that students often move from year one to year two without fully understanding the content they learned in year one, making it difficult for them to catch up with the increasing difficulty each year. Particularly, children who did not have the privilege to attend early childhood education are unable to catch up with the curriculum in their first year of primary schooling, as the primary curriculum assumes they had preschool knowledge. They are ‘disadvantaged from the first day of formal schooling’, Ms. Hema mentioned, especially in a country like Malaysia, where early education is not compulsory.
Importance of Literacy
She also addressed the gap in students’ literacy skills and its detrimental effects on their education. She recounted encounters with secondary students who possessed literacy skills equivalent to those of Year 2 or 3 students, emphasising how crucial literacy is within the curriculum. If a student’s literacy is not up to standard, they are unable to understand any other subjects. Mathematics requires students to read hefty and lengthy questions, while science also requires a foundation in literacy to understand its content. A lack of literacy prompted many students to drop out of school because of their inability to understand the curriculum. This is the reason why she started ProjekBacaBaca, a volunteer-based programme aimed at bridging the learning poverty gap, especially for children in B40 families.
Coexistence Between Artificial and Human Intelligence
The purpose of the education system is to ‘empower learners to be adaptive, ethical and collaborative’. Specifically, the coexistence between human intelligence and machine intelligence. Due to the rapidly emerging artificial intelligence, the education modules have become outdated. Academic information can be easily obtained at the fingertips; therefore, what is the purpose of assessing students based on their academic knowledge? Many students find the work and content they're learning a waste of time, as they can easily access this information online much quicker. Rather, the system should teach students how to utilise AI in their learning. For instance, putting in the right prompts to get the correct answer and verifying accurate information online. Incorporating these elements into a learning module would be much more beneficial than the current traditional learning. However, this is an extremely new aspect for the education system. Many modules have yet to integrate machine learning into their modules.
Employers see education as the ‘pipeline for future-ready talents’, said Ms Hema. In the current digital age, employers are seeking skills AI cannot replicate, such as cross-cultural communication, ethical judgement and adaptability. Currently, graduates are employed with academic knowledge and digital literacy; on the other hand, they lack adaptability and agility, unable to adjust to the expeditiously changing workplace environment. Partly, this is due to their lack of exposure before entering the workforce. Ms. Hema described students as being in a ‘bubble’ before entering the workforce, confined inside the comfort of their parents’ home. Thus, many of them are unable to withstand the challenges faced at work, facing the risk of unemployment. This aligns with the Malaysian youth unemployment rate in 2025, as DOSM shows a 10.3% for Malaysian youth aged 15 to 30.9
More students have become increasingly aware of the flaws of the traditional education system. Many of them realised that content and knowledge can be gained much more easily and quickly with machine intelligence. Ms. Hema described this current conflict between AI and traditional learning as a ‘trial and error period’, where learning modules had not been fully adapted to the current technological advancement. Students are getting agitated as they’ve realised what they’re learning may be a waste of time. Yet, they also do not have the skills that employers seek in applicants. In summary, the current education system has yet to adapt to the accelerating accessibility of information.
What Is the Next Step?
Across different cultures, every nation has its unique problems in its education system that may not cater to its current demands. Especially in the digital era, the system requires adapting quickly to changes. However, traditional academic modules had dominated education for a long time, focusing on imparting information rather than developing soft skills beneficial for entering the workforce. The education system still fails to teach us what we truly need.
Written by: Olivia Teo
Edited by: Subiksha Nair
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Ryan, Robin. “Top In-Demand Skills Employers Want In 2025—And How To Learn Them Fast (Without Spending A Fortune).” Forbes, 22 April 2025, https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinryan/2025/04/22/top-in-demand-skills-employers-want-in-2025-and-how-to-learn-them-fast-without-spending-a-fortune/.
Clow, Alistair. “Why China learns its lessons off by heart.” The Guardian, 2 January 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/jan/02/china-learns-lessons-by-heart.
Hauger, Bertrand. Why The Chinese Are So Good, But Rarely Great. WORLDCRUNCH, July 5, 2024, https://worldcrunch.com/culture-society/why-the-chinese-are-so-good-but-rarely-great/.
“Most Global Indian-origin Billionaires Completed Undergraduate Studies in India” Times of India, 21 January 2025, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/most-global-indian-origin-billionaires-completed-undergraduate-studies-in-india/articleshow/117422374.cms.
Wang, Xinyi. Crisis in Chinese Classrooms: Unveiling the Mental Health Struggles of Chinese Students, Medium, https://medium.com/@xinyiw_design/crisis-in-chinese-classrooms-unveiling-the-mental-health-struggles-of-chinese-students-1e2bb0b060bb.
Thompson, Emma. “Prime Minister Starmer highlights 'lack of respect' and teacher turnover as problems in education.” EdTech Innovation Hub, 7 November 2024, https://www.edtechinnovationhub.com/news/teachers-lack-of-respect-says-uk-pm.
Boffey, Daniel. “Give us a little more respect,' demand stressed-out teachers.” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/may/12/more-respect-demand-stressed-teachers.
Hinde, Natasha. “'It's Triggering': UK Teachers Weigh In On Adolescence’s School Episode.” yahoo!news, https://uk.news.yahoo.com/triggering-uk-teachers-weigh-adolescence-083032683.html.
“Monthly Youth Unemployment.” OpenDOSM, https://open.dosm.gov.my/data-catalogue/lfs_month_youth?visual=u_rate_15_24.
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