A Nation Should Require All Its Students to Study the Same National Curriculum Until They Enter College

It was Einstein who once said, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything one learned in school". In spite of the apparent facetious nature of the remark, it is grounded in reality and wisdom in many ways. And that central tenet of wisdom runs counter to the claim that all students should be required to study the same curriculum until they enter college. Although there are certain peripheral benefits of standardizing the curricula of all schools in this way, in my opinion, the disadvantages far outstrip the advantages.
Normalizing the curricula of schools does have certain superficial advantages, such as a more thorough and cogent planning on part of the instructors, a broader curriculum and greater variety of curricular activities. However, these are outweighed by a multitude of weaknesses which usually plague such standardization. These include, but are not limited to, a manifold increase in the volume of curricular material to be covered in a relatively short period of time, lesser flexibility of the instructors in designing courses and classes which might be better suited for individual students or even groups of students, and an increased pressure to complete all the courses particularly for slower and weaker pupils. Such problems might be misconstrued as minor ones, when viewed from the periphery. However, only upon delving deeper does one begin to appreciate the true effects that these failings might have on the morale and development of a student, both physically and psychologically. It is common knowledge that students, particularly the younger ones, when bombarded with the sheer volume of material that needs to be scaled in any national curriculum, tend to become dispirited and disinterested towards school and learning. Learning becomes a chore for them, something of an imposition. In such conditions, education loses its true meaning, and is reduced to rote learning. Pupils do not learn for enlightenment, but only memorize, for later...