Society as Center of Education
Education is not merely process in itself, but process coming from the social interaction between society members in accordance with social changing and social development. Prominent leader like Muhammad Iqbal ad Deweys propose concept of education as social institution which means education is part and of social system. Education will lose its meaning if it was not a social process and sponsored by society. They assume that one cannot grow and develop as personalities if they do not get education trough the social environment.
It seems that education as propose by Iqbal and Dewey is like response to answer every problem arising from the outside and inside society. It can be understood because the process of education is not static process, whereas social condition changes every time. Hence, design of education should come from and to the society where they are alive, rather than for other subject. The consequence is the system and model will be varied, there is no single policy to be admitted. Society should determine what they need and what they did not as result of education.
However, Iqbal and Dewey come from different tradition. While Iqbal is Islamic reformer in Pakistan, in the other hand Dewey is American philosopher. Iqbal system for me is like critic to Islamic traditional system which tends to far from social condition faced by society, especially Muslim life. Traditional system only learns Islamic doctrine and fiqh, not educated student newest knowledge resulted by science inquiry. That makes Islam fate because did not master science needed by society to develop their life. Additionally, as far as I know, Dewey is pragmatism philosopher. His approach well knows as experimental. In this ways, education will be better if have good values for the society. In one hand, experiencing in education is more important rather than conceptualizing.
One point that also important is about the philosophical of life. If education is derived from society, it means should use philosophical view of that society. The philosophical life includes religious teaching inside. So, the education system will not only different, but also unique each other. There is no problem what the content of education is, but the more important is it can be instrument to humanize human.
The role of social process in other sense can be interpreted as minimal control of state. Formal education manages and maintenances by society. Thus, this concept not to be contrasted with education held in home, like home schooling, because that is also alternative education over fallacy of state in holding high quality education as society need.
I think, what they propose is reasonable. Education will be better if social context and philosophical life accommodated in system. Society will not only passive actor, but also active in giving opinion and suggestion for the education roles. Thus, student and society is in dynamic relationship, in the other hand teacher also not superhuman over student and society. They are same to learn from the society and its development.
Although society is center of education, is not means the society life is ideology, like communism ideology. Stressing to the society needs just for building awareness that education is nothing if far away from society life. Although private knowledge and morality important, it also will be nothing if cannot be implemented in the society. []
