The Problem of the Problem

In many fields, the solving of a problem gets rid of it or at least ameliorates it. If a doctor diagnoses appendicitis correctly, for example, and successfully removes the appendix, the patient is cured of the appendicitis. This is not so in education where solving one major education problem such as illiteracy or teaching people to read, write, and think may increase problems for educators. Thinking people will now seek more for their children. With their learned skills, educated people become educated critics of education, often creating problems at a higher and more complex level than if undereducated persons had raised the questions.