Introduction
This essay will address the question “Can and should education take a role in helping prevent young people from being drawn towards extremist ideologies or movements?” From a policy perspective, educational guidelines developed within learning institutions should equip students with the skills and knowledge to make sound decisions. Extremism, being a destructive idea, is seen as having a negative influence on the youth.
Therefore, it is important to evaluate how to protect the young from such ideologies. This idea stems from the fact that education is holistic and meant to empower communities (Ball, 1993). The findings of this investigation demonstrate that schooling should take a role in helping prevent young people from being drawn towards extremist ideologies or movements.
Protecting Vulnerable Populations
People who propagate extremist ideologies tend to target vulnerable populations, such as low-income groups and immigrants. Their sentiments have created an environment of hatred and animosity among sections of the population (Alcock & Campling, 2003). Today, terrorism is a global problem with complex roots stemming from social, economic, and political challenges affecting society. Differences in religion, values, and beliefs are also part of the problem (Panjwani, 2018). For example, notable terrorist Acts, such as the September 11th attacks in the US, and the 2003 Boston Marathon Bombing, had religious undertones to them. Stated differently, it is believed their planners wanted to advance religious agendas.
The concept of religion by itself does not portray the full picture and scope of extremism. In its darkest form, extremism has the potential to cause harm. For instance, extremist ideologies partly fuel terrorism, and terrorist ideologies tend to flourish or gain support among sections of the population with low levels of education (Alcock & Campling, 2003). This problem is compounded by additional evidence showing the proliferation of conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies among low-income groups (Rawls, 1999). This is why terror organizations target the disillusioned, hopeless, and mostly uneducated people in society to advance their agenda. Stated differently, these entities tend to target the vulnerable in society with precision, relative to their messaging. This statement highlights the importance of understanding the role of education in preventing young people from being drawn to extremist ideologies and movements.
Preventing Indoctrination
Education plays a critical role in preventing young people from joining extremist groups by empowering them to make sound decisions and better judgments about their lives. This section of the probe demonstrates that education fosters critical thinking and broadens people’s exposure to global issues, including race, equality, and extremism and its elements, thereby protecting the young from extremism (Gillborn, 2008; Tomlinson, 2008; Delgado & Stefancic, 2013). In terms of fostering critical thinking, educated young people are more likely to disseminate knowledge more effectively, thereby improving their understanding of real-world issues (Santos, 2017). Terrorism, being one of these issues, is likely to be understood from an educated mind, as opposed to an illiterate one.
Learning empowers young people to evaluate falsehoods and misinformation in terror reporting. Such actions affect how they view terror and extremism (Jerome, Elwick, and Kazim, 2019). At the same time, it helps them foster critical thinking when evaluating issues that affect society (Tomlinson, 2008; Delgado & Stefancic, 2013). The implication is that it is difficult to brainwash a learned person to pursue terrorist agendas because they can see the lies in the narrative (Gillborn & Youdell, 2000).
In terms of exposure to global issues that fuel extremism, education plays a critical role in broadening one’s understanding of these issues (Whitty, 2002). Therefore, educated people are likely to view their social, economic, and political problems within a broader analytical framework (Tomlinson, 2008; Delgado & Stefancic, 2013). This statement means that they are likely to have a better understanding of terrorism as a global problem and the modalities countries use to manage it. This understanding makes them responsible global citizens.
Conclusion
Broadly, the findings of this investigation indicate that education has a special role to play in preventing young people from being indoctrinated with extremist ideologies. It expands their exposure to social, economic, and political problems affecting society, thereby enabling them to better discern extremist ideologies. The findings of this paper also show that education should help protect young people from extremist ideologies by equipping them to discern the legitimacy of such claims, as they acquire critical thinking skills in the process. Overall, the findings of this probe demonstrate that education should take a role in helping prevent young people from being drawn towards extremist ideologies or movements.
References
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