On Education Today: A Thought Experiment

Reflecting on Immanuel Kant's On Education, this philosophical essay critiques the contemporary Philippine higher-education system for reducing learning to employable skills while neglecting character formation. Noting that technical skills are increasingly available for free online, the author argues that morality and wisdom, not information, are what genuinely require formal education, and proposes a "discipleship" model in which students would live for an extended period with chosen life-masters who form them personally in virtue, relationships, and vocation, alongside minimal online skills training, as an alternative or complement to conventional higher education.