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The modern education system proudly presents itself as undaunted and flawless, having mastered the art of replacing curiosity with memorisation. Not only that, it often discourages students from experiencing life directly, implying that emotions are best understood through theorems; skills considered essential for adulthood. The system confidently declares, “We make students’ lives bright and successful,” yet that brightness can sometimes be difficult to locate. Meanwhile, procrastination has been elevated from a human tendency to an educational philosophy; one so refined that it might even make Socrates raise an eyebrow.

Our education system is often compared to a goblin, one that hoards money and delivers long-lasting academic anxiety. Still, this goblin is deceptively kind. It promises a degree and a job; the degree is usually within reach, while the job often feels just beyond it. Perfection, they say, is impossible. Yet this goblinesque system comes impressively close, so perfectly flawed that improvement seems unavoidable. It is praised as a hero by some, though many students experience it more as an obstacle than a saviour. If this system were a movie character, the actor would likely be criticised, parodied, and quickly forgotten.

This system is so complex that, if a biologist were to encounter it, they might label it “a structure intricate enough to confuse even the human mind.” Still, we are reassured that it prepares students for the real world: a lifetime of repetitive tasks under fluorescent lights, motivated by vague promises of future success. Graduates emerge skilled in appearing attentive while discreetly scrolling through social media, writing emails filled with artificial enthusiasm, and performing calculations to determine the minimum effort required to stay employed, once they manage to secure a job at all.

Our education system is such an anomaly that some graduates struggle with basic distinctions they were expected to master long ago. They are prepared so thoroughly for life on paper that real life sometimes feels unprepared for them. At times, the system seems more focused on producing efficiency than humanity, turning learners into near-robots who struggle beyond structured environments. Ironically, the system is so rigid that even failure is given little room to teach valuable lessons.

Yet, despite its flaws, this system is not beyond redemption. If curiosity were encouraged alongside discipline, and creativity valued as much as conformity, education could truly fulfil its promise. A system that learns from its students as much as it teaches them might finally make learning meaningful and transform that so-called laboratory into a place where minds are not just trained, but inspired.