Task 2: Competition V Cooperation in Schools

Question: Some people think that competition is important in schools and is a vital part of education. Others feel that the purpose of education is to encourage students to work together and thus the education system should emphasize cooperation. 

Discuss both points of view and give your own opinion. 

This week we look at a more difficult topic but one that comes up very often in task 2 - an examination of some aspect of education. Very often we will have to consider two conflicting ideas. it is important to remember that there is no single correct answer and that we could take any position we want as long as we can support it. Remember the IELTS test is not just a test about English, it is also a test of your academic thinking too!

Answer:

Competition is a fact of life, we all compete amongst ourselves for resources due to the fact that scarcity is a dominant feature of economic life and the only way in which those scarce resources can be allocated is by way of competition. At some schools it might seem strange that children are encouraged to engage in competitive behaviour and some critics have been very vocal in opposing this style of traditional education and have instead favoured a more cooperative model of teaching and learning. This has culminated in an opposing model of education; a liberal and cooperative ideal that is pitched against a conservative or competitive one.

The highly academic schools are always very competitive, they track student progress for each and every class and rank students according to their achievements. This kind of environment generally promotes the idea of all students trying their best to achieve their highest possible standard of work and produce the best quality of work. Just like in a free market, where competition allows companies to produce the best quality goods and services, a competitive environment at school will also produce the best qualities for  students. It should also be remembered that the real world of work is very competitive and that this nature of reality needs to be instilled into children so that they and their society can succeed as eventually all students will eventually become adults and then take their role in a competitive world.

More liberal doctrines of education have highly emphasised cooperation rather than competition as part of  a kind of “all must have prizes” ethos. They argue that competition might be good for the top ten per cent but that the results are not so great for the other ninety percent who might then be marginalised and thereby lose motivation. This might culminate in the less confident and less able not wanting to participate to their fullest extents; some individuals might be crushed by their experiences in education and unable to cope with the sort of stress that is engendered by competition. Due to the fact that the people have to cooperate in all fields of human endeavour, in business, in academia and in government; it is much better for children to be taught to work together because we all are stronger when we are part of a team.

At the present moment, the general trend had been to move towards inclusive methods of education which encourage cooperation. As we can see more and more people heading onto university to study qualifications that for some will lead inevitably to many of them not being able to subsequently secure the type of career they deem to be worthy of them; it is time to bring some competition back into the system (starting with school) so that we can reimagine the education system as being a producer of excellence with high standards and not one that encourages mediocrity for all.

Competition and cooperation are not mutually exclusive concepts and both can be used by children to bring out their best qualities. A system with no competition is not doing any favours for those who experience it as a competitive world awaits them upon completion of their studies. It is a shame that more liberal doctrines have tried to totally remove competition from schools as demonstrated in changes to academic and sporting life in schools. Competition should be encouraged and as long as there is some cooperation as well, this should enable our children to be all that they can be and also prepare them for the real world.

(597 words)