"Formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free."

The statement that formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free seems true to a good extent.The goal of education is to cultivate curiosity,nurture our minds , nourish the thoughts and help us gaining the knowledge.But our formal education system emphasizes on what to think rather than how to think. Formal education system dictates a path which people are supposed to follow to reach to their destinations.Too much of formal education leads to a narrow line of thinking.When the curiosity of human is fettered by the boundary of formal education , then it is of no worth.

The representatives of our education system are schools , colleges and universities where formal education organizes our minds. The curiosity beyond the syllabus is mostly discouraged and we are forced to follow the conventional theories , hypothesis and formula.Thus formal education impedes our wanderlust for going out of the box. It seldom allows us to think in an unbiased manner. If we observe the history of inventions , right from the Copernicus we can see that the formal education system tends to restrain our minds from the olden times.A long ago , church believed that the earth i the center of the universe and Sun rotates around earth. When Copernicus proved mathematically that earth is not the center of the universe and it just rotates around the Sun , the church declared him the traitor as he had challenged the formal belief!

In addition to this , there are numerous example where the people haven't followed the formal education system and have succeeded with flying colors.Thomas Alva Edison , who has nearly a hundred of inventions to his credit is a school drop out. He kept on experimenting and thinking eccentrically(which might have seemed stupid to his formally educated peers) so as to attain hos goals and got succeeded ,too! Bill Gates and Steve Jobs , the founders of Microsoft corp. and Apple inc. respectively are the examples of technological magnates who didn't completed their formal education. Sachin Tendulkar , who is considered the master blaster of cricket has not completed his formal education. Lata Mangeshkar (an excellent singer) is named 'The nightingale of India' is another example.

On the other hand , formal education is necessary to bring harmony in the basic level of knowledge. However , it should be followed to a limited extent especially in schools. When the child is able to think on his own , he should be allowed to do the same.Formal education system should give one a start up , not the result.

Thus I would like to conclude the issue by saying that formal education system actually tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free. A balanced system consisting of formal as well as out of the box education would provide a better environment to nourish our mins and spirits!