The value of education is growing steadily every year. Most modern employers pay great attention to the level of education of potential employees. This is a critical characteristic because it gives an understanding of the knowledge already gained by a person and also his or her abilities to learn in the process of work. However, educational systems in various countries are incredibly different, and university graduates are not always genuinely educated and successful people. The purpose of this paper is to discuss Kristof’s view on education in the USA and China.
There are indeed many differences in the educational systems of these countries. For example, Kristof claims that China “has an enormous cultural respect for education” (15). Indeed, in American schools and colleges, this can be seen much less often. Students are not always interested in getting good grades and gaining new helpful knowledge. Unfortunately, this attitude to education is laid down by the cultural features of the state. For this reason, it is necessary to change not only the education system but also universal human values.
Nevertheless, there are many cases where people, having not received a proper education, achieve incredible success. This is due to their high level of creativity and aspirations. However, according to Kristof, many Chinese people “complain that Chinese schools teach rote memorization but not creativity or love of learning” (15). Therefore, the success of a person does not always depend on his school grades. Any country has many examples of people with numerous achievements, regardless of the educational system within which they study.
In any case, the world does not yet have an ideal educational system. For instance, Chinese students are known for their hard work and ability to process large amounts of information and master complex knowledge. On the contrary, American students are not so motivated to participate in the educational process actively. Nevertheless, they often reach great heights in business and have more breakthrough ideas. Thus, each educational system has a significant number of advantages and disadvantages.
In my opinion, education is one of the vital components of human life. For this reason, it is crucial to find the right approach to learning. I believe that studies depend mostly on a particular person, and the desire to learn is not always instilled from the outside. It is an internal quality, so a capable student will be able to reach the maximum in any country: both in China and in the USA.
In conclusion, the world needs to create a qualitatively new education system. It should include all the knowledge and qualities that are truly necessary for a modern person. Unfortunately, the creation of such a system seems to be challenging since it must be adapted to different mentalities and cultures. However, current communication capabilities allow researchers to collect the best educational achievements and implement them in various educational institutions to make studies more effective. Only in this way will future generations achieve incredible successes and live in a prosperous society.
Work Cited
Kristof, Nicholas D. “China: The Educated Giant.” The New York Times, 2007, p. 15.