Naracoorte Presbyterian Church

We should be grateful to live in a country where education is freely accessible.

The Education Department has the mission to oversee education. 

There is a distinction between ‘teaching’, ‘learning’, and the ‘transfer of knowledge’. All these aspects contribute to education. There is a distinction between information and knowledge.

The principle of example is fundamental to the entire process of guiding children to adulthood. Parents’ influence and nurture are foundational. Parents must never resign from this God-given calling. The State has no right to take over the role of education from parents. In contrast to what socialistic governments may think, parents are not mere suppliers of citizens.

Teachers received training to teach. Thank God for good teachers. They are skilled in pedagogy. They know how to apply principles of formal teaching. These principles help transfer knowledge applicable to the age and mental development of children in their care. 

The task of schoolteachers does not end there. They are also role models. Their lifestyle and demeanour usually leave vast and life-long impressions on students.

The partnership between parents and formal educators is vital. Parents must know and have influence into the curriculum their children get to prevent conflict between different worldviews. Children get confused and frustrated if what their parents believe is different from what the teacher says.

We are not talking about the three “R’s” of “reading, writing, and arithmetic.” Facts are always facts. Yes, parents can learn from teachers! We are all the wiser when we abide by principles.

Education outcomes are distorted when they are aimed at social engineering. So, education must be free of political interference. It is not the job of formal educators to churn out citizens who would bow to government ideologies.

Academic excellence encompasses much more than the ability to regurgitate ideas from some ‘indisputable’ source of knowledge. The process of education must be to encourage students to think independently. Without fail, celebrated scientists were independent thinkers. 

Education should not be aimed at the ‘what’ to know; students must learn ‘how’ to know. Knowledge opens the eyes to the big picture. Knowledge provides the tools to see the relationship between universal questions. Knowledge is the mother of wisdom – the ultimate end of learning.

Facts can be synthetic, but knowledge is applied intelligence. Details can be recited thoughtlessly; knowledge discloses clarity. Insight provides the breath for universally related observations. 

Successful education provides a student with the key to acquiring knowledge. It helps in applying such knowledge to help all members of society. It also serves to glorify God, the Source of all knowledge.