Formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and s

I think that formal education does not inherently have the features which hinder the students from free and critical thinking.

The main purpose of formal education is providing some background information and basic skills for the children of a nation to become good citizens. For example, in school years, students become familiar with the history of their country, learn social skills, obtain knowledge about art, become literate in terms of mathematics and basic science, and learn how to read and write. These are like primitive units that students can use to construct their social identity. Likewise, these are useful tools in hands of students for incarnating their subjective thoughts as objective realities.

Let's suppose a student who wants to express her feelings about a specific event by mean of a painting. In such case, a student has the basic knowledge about the methods of painting, the required tools, the meaning of different colors and methods for applying them, as well as the proper materials needed for that work according to the school formal education. This is how education can support a student to be creative.
It is not uncommon that people assume formal education, since having a relatively prefabricated and strict rules or frameworks, may dull the talented students. In fact, a substantial number of people believe that adhering to rigid guidelines defined by formal education restrict the imagination and creativity of students. However, these guidelines are set to function as clues and hints. They provide the basic equipments for students and since then, it up to them to utilize these equipments in a creative and productive way.

To sum it up, formal education does not deter the students from being imaginative or creative. Actually, it is designed to provide some useful knowledge for the students in order to become capable of creation. Moreover, formal education is just a method and not unchangeable rules. Students should learn this method as a foundation and then they will construct their own designs on that foundation according to their own imagination and wishes.