If someone has children, the first thing they want is for them to be happy, and then become someone in life and all that. But the educational system, I mean always, not just now, creates competitive, successful people, and does not educate them to be happy. The problem is that success gives money, not happiness. The eternal problem.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that the educational system prioritizes success over true happiness for children.
Jorge Bucay highlights a significant issue within the educational system, which often fosters competition and success based on external measures such as wealth, rather than nurturing genuine happiness in children. He points out that while parents desire their children to be content and fulfilled, the way education is structured does not align with this goal, leading to a disconnection between success and personal happiness, hence presenting an 'eternal problem' in societal values.
In practice
This quote can be shared in an educational seminar to discuss the balance between success and happiness in the curriculum.
In a high tech world the cure for the tragic shortcomings and perilous fallacies of human intuition is education, but education in economics, evolutionary biology, probability and statistics - unfortunately most High School and College curricula have barely changed since Medieval times!
I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most.
I think that what we need to do is say, 'Reading is going to really affect your life.' You take a black man who doesn't have a job, but you say to him, 'Look, you can make a difference in your child's life, just by reading to him for 30 minutes a day.' That's what I would like to do.
Respect all the reasonable forms of activity in which the child engages and try to understand them.
Boosting education will be a direct counterbalance to Boko Haram's appeal. In particular we must educate more young girls, ensuring they will grow up to be empowered through learning to play their full part as citizens of Nigeria and pull themselves up and out of poverty.
My early and invincible love of reading I would not exchange for all the riches of India.
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