Pressures on schools to perform have never been higher. From exam results to meeting expectations of parents, students, and lawmakers running a school is no easy job. Add to that budget cuts and constant changes to exam specifications, schools are already scrabbling to keep up. Keeping this in mind, let’s focus on what schools need to be held accountable for – turning them into productive, law-abiding individuals or ensuring that every individual has a good future.

I believe that trying to look at the issue of schools through such a restrictive lens is never a good idea. Schools should focus (and they should be allowed to do so) on a culture of excellence that permeates every classroom. They should be allowed to give the best education and creating a lifelong passion for learning.

Research suggests that countries with low levels of educational achievement suffer from higher levels of inequality. This is not to deny the importance of qualifications but making a point that simply a set goal will never lead to a culture of high aspiration. So, schools should focus on creating excellence. And to do this, all of us, as a society, must agree on what excellence actually is. What should an excellent 10-year-old student be able to do? What are our expectations from a high-school graduate?

Unless these questions are answered, trying to arrive at what schools should focus on will be a Sisyphean undertaking. In all, I think the most important things that schools (with a lot of help from the society) should focus on ensuring that all children leave school with an excellent education and a lifelong love of learning. And this will benefit both the society and the individuals themselves.

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