Education Can End Systematic Oppression

Through the doorway sits a room full of people. Though each person is fundamentally different, they have come together for a single purpose: to obtain a higher education. The general purpose for education is to encourage people to further themselves and in so doing, to secure their future. For some, the paycheck at the end of the road is the only motivating factor. For others, the motivating factor is the ability to better themselves and society. The first group, the paycheck group, is not interested in improving beyond themselves. The second group has the desire to use their knowledge to advance themselves and their communities, both at home and globally. The true aim of higher education should be to encourage and create a better, more just, more equal society that works to elevate communities and oppressed peoples through the process of systematic liberation.

Becoming involved in the surrounding community is usually inspired through the lens of higher education. People who are well educated are much more likely to be engaged, to volunteer their time, and to vote, than those who do not have a background in higher education. Education helps to broaden the view of the world while helping to clearly define society’s issues. As there cannot be liberation if people do not know there is a need for it, there also cannot be action unless there is a clear purpose for it. As Brennan (2008) claims, “The idea of the academic role as ‘taking truth to power’...is a concept which stresses the importance of ‘autonomy’ rather than ‘responsiveness’ in the functions of the academy” (p. 389). In short, both students and teachers should be involved in the collaborative process of a kind of shared learning that is more profound and me...

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