After some bathing & beers at the Theklaer lake we started a session prepared by Markus on institutionalized education inspired by a critique by Ivan Illich - Deschooling Society. Illich was European but acted and lived a long time in Mexico, where he founded a Center of Education and generally developed techniques to overcome traditional teaching institutions. In that he was always oriented on pracmatic solutions. His often rather radical statements have tobe understood in this constructive way. An important paradigm was the focus on the need of people and also efficiency: “I teach what you need, and so you will listen and learn fast.”
inherent teacher-student hierarchy prevents unconstrained encounters and communication
monopolized education (finally expressed by degrees and diplomas) leads to deevaluation of any education outside of such institutions
every social need that finds an institutionalized answer creates new lines of poverty and depenndencies by excluding a certain amount of people
prevents establishment and participation in alternative, autonomous structures of education
is extremely inefficient when it comes to time, money, and personnel (12 years in school to learn what??)
always necessarily works toward a (state-)national or economical goal instead towards a independently defined social aim
does not create equal chances but the opposite by favouring educational time & types over others, the majority gets excluded
over-specialisation creates helplessness when it comes to everyday-life or relatively simple crafts
supports the dogma that learning is always an outcome of teaching; while actually at school we learn most stuff only because we are forced to spend a great deal of our time there, education is thus more a side effect of school, it's real aim being storage of kids and forming future consumers
contents of education mostly are totally ignorant of interests; unworldlyness of education; cf.
Freire for different forms
classification is done according to age and irrespective of individual development, talents, and interests
the certain amount of autonomy and freedom at university serves as a containment of insurgent thought
cognitive ability, self-reliance, creativity, delight in encounters etc. depletes systematically under the influence of “down-schooling” through the focus on certain teaching contents
compulsory education is a outrageous coercion (“unerhörter Zwang”)
the eductaional system acts like a worldwide “cargo-cult”, as a substitute for state religion, creating expectations and obedient citizens
through academization in poor countries a market is established that is not accessible for most people
schools are closely related to other state institutions of violence and totalitarian power, like prisons, military, police in how they work and are organised
we benefit from skills through scarcity, not by distribution
standardization of knowledge and skills leads to its depletion
direct communcation is replaced through hierarchic protocols
create spaces for independent, free, creative, joyful, self-determined, cross-linked, emancipating, escaping, manifold, far-reaching, liberatory thought and action
“web” (
rhizome project) instead of “funnel” (“Trichter”) as a model for education; educational facilities have to be meeting-spots, relational networks, crossroads, marketplaces, places of abidance (“Verweilorte”)
make possible individual aims and values while also fostering openness
they shall prove that with much more modest resources it is possible to create spaces that have effect
abolition of strict teacher-student hierarchy, instead floating relations
respect needs and desires (allow “erotic” sensation)
promote random and surprising encounters, create new connections
a restriction to one special subject (like physics) is meaningless in the first place if one considers this points, extension to other important parts of life and fulfil desires on all levels
concentrate on the participating people instead on abstract contents
value action over consumption (“Vorzug des Tuns über Konsum und Verbrauch”), activity over production
free access to learning materials of all kinds instead of artificial scarcity (commons as an alternative form of property)
ignorance towards established degrees and diplomas
a right for everyone to learn and to teach
a poetic encounter with the dirt instead of social hygiene
love humans more than products, everybody is interesting