In order to close the education divide for underprivileged colored people after the American Civil War, American educator Booker T. Washington established the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881. His views on education are both comparable to and different from those that are currently held in the United States. Based on the reading challenges faced by the Black community, Booker developed his viewpoint on education. Since they had previously been denied these chances, slaves who had recently been set free had never received any formal education. In addition, though they were now free to attend any kind of educational institutions that were present, they were too poor to pay for fees and did not have access to facilities as basic as schools.
Booker's idea of access to schools is relevant to today's educational system whereby colleges are open to almost every student from high school. In Booker's time, the accessibility was hindered by lack of schools, lack of financial resources and inadequacy of teachers. There is a similarity therefore in this kind of educational propositions in that; he created a school that would open doors to a wider student base. The program of the college included night and day classes, with the evening and night sessions meant to give the poor students a chance to find financial support for accommodation. This also catered for the challenge whereby initially, students who wished to attend the school were more than the capacity for the school. The evening sessions provided for a way to ease congestion when the school was younger. In the current system as well, colleges have been increased, and fees lowered to accommodate more students (Buchmann 668). In the recent past, poor grades and other factors such as gender and race prevented students from joining college. These barriers have been removed to allow more students to join.
The relevance of Booker's educational views is also found in the consideration of job prospects of students. In the current education system, many students have been misled to going to college to get degrees as opposed to technical courses, due to the misconception that four year degree courses automatically guarantee employment in big jobs with a huge amount of salary (Buchmann 669) There is a need therefore for students to be advised accordingly on this idealization of bachelor's degrees. Instead, private occupational colleges are recommended especially for low performers in order to provide them with substantial job prospects, as opposed to pursuing degree courses that will not suit their abilities. Booker T Washington also assessed the situation of the black community after the Civil War era and noted that they needed basic life skills and basic knowledge of industrial and agricultural sectors. He, therefore, designed the program at Tuskegee Institute in a way that would make it suitable for the freed slaves to gain these skills. They were taught extensively on Industrial and Agricultural subjects, in order for them to gain prospects for jobs in industries and white farms. They had to catch up with what the whites already learned in schools since they were young, in a way that, in two years' time, they were able to get some form of employment. This innovativeness is relevant in our current educational system since it needs to suit all kinds of students and lower the rate of unemployment.
Another significance of Booker’s educational perspective to the current educational system is in the preparedness of a student before joining the institution. Most students are only comfortable with the idea that they will join college. However, they do not realize that this access does not guarantee college-credit courses. It is found that most students, especially those with low grades, actually do not know how to prepare for college and the importance of this preparation. The program at Tuskegee was effective in ensuring the readiness of students in getting to the institution. This was first through the 2-year program of working in the school part-time and studying for the other part, before joining the full curriculum (Karraker, Schneider and Stevenson 636). This made the students ready to learn and be motivated by the learning process. This is despite their challenges including, as mentioned earlier, dire poverty, age, dependence by family members at home and having to work in order to get accommodation fees.
In conclusion, the Tuskegee Institute program on education is relevant to the education system currently in place in America, even though it had a different kind of content due to the period in which it was offered.
Works cited
Karraker, Meg Wilkes, Barbara Schneider, and David Stevenson. "The Ambitious Generation: America's Teenagers, Motivated But Directionless." Contemporary Sociology 29.4 (2000): 636. Web. 23 Oct. 2017.
Buchmann, C. "Beyond College For All: Career Paths For The Forgotten Half. By James Rosenbaum. Russell Sage Foundation, 2001. 323 Pp. Cloth $29.95." Social Forces 81.2 (2002): 667-669. Web. 23 Oct. 2017.
