By . Higher education is supposed to give you skills and confidence. But lots of students end up feeling just plain anxious. Does the education system foster insecurity?Ivan Illich, an Austrian philosopher, said schools create inferiority. When I first read this, I thought, how hypocritical of Illich to criticise institutionalised education when he himself studied at universities in Rome and Salzburg.
However, I'm now a final-year undergraduate, and experience and further reading have made me sympathetic towards Illich, particularly in relation to higher education.
Universities are often portrayed as institutions for social mobility – gateways to social status, cultural sophistication and professional jobs. Read more...
