Democratic Education is a theory, which endorses building blocks of democratic values in educational institutions- where community participation leads

the way to social transformation. In this essay, democratic education is defined as a system that functions on the principles of democracy along with recognising it as a means of instilling democratic values such as citizenship, community action, liberty and equality among its participants. In this sphere lies the issue of conciliating the aims of the individual with those of the society. The debate to employ this theory into practice, as an alternative means of education is recent. The ideas of mentorship, self-direction, conflict resolution and empowerment of individuals have been present intermittently in the history of education. There are over 200 places offering democratic education in more than 30 countries, working with over 40,000 students.1 To understand how these ideas are imperative for the 21st century public urban society, we can retrace our way back to times when education was simply a method of training children into their expected roles in society. In such times, thinkers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau challenged standard notions and focused their attention on the individual rather than the society. Though they are better known as political thinkers, their ideas regarding education have proven invaluable over time because they emphasised the importance of democratic principles as a means to social progress through an education system provided for the citizens of the state. Rousseaus ideas seem most pertinent to meet this challenge as described in his work the Social Contract; to liberate man (who) is born free, but he is everywhere in chains," His ideas regarding education in his book Emile, also known as On Education, fearlessly, challenged the education system of his time. He explains the concept of individual development for the purpose of fulfilling his/her desires versus steering the individuals talents to benefit the society at large, sometimes at the expense of his/her wishes. For this Rousseau drew inspiration from his own life and his own liberal education. As a self-directed learner, I myself had to reconcile my own aspirations with the expectations of society. Hence the struggle to conform proved equally challenging and enlightening. The development of democratic habits such as self-assessment, ownership of decisions and intrinsic motivation to pursue higher values for the process of self directed learning aided me while studying for my Ordinary and Advanced levels as well as undergraduate education. I learnt the importance of collaboration, cooperation, negotiation and conflict resolution during my time at the University of Oxford in the diplomatic studies course. It was a practical scenario of regular transformation into others peoples shoes, to experience both sides of the story and most memorably to be a purposeful contributor to the greater goal of accomplishing a task and being assessed through peer polls and group opinions. This reminded me that it is not the freedom of choice alone that is important for ones intellectual development, rather it is the end of those aims that make the choices one makes worthwhile. I fully realized the importance of developing and complementing both ideologies of learning for oneself and learning for the greater good of society as the only way forward. In this stead, Rousseaus philosophy of Education is relevant and sheds light to the challenges we face in our times.
1 Democratic Schools in the UK, International Democratic Education Network, 2012, Web. 30 Dec.2013,

www.idenetwork.org

An important goal of quality education is to equip each generation to participate effectively in what has been called 'the great conversation' of our times. This means, on one hand, being unafraid of controversy. But, on the other hand, it also means being sensitive to the values and outlooks of others. 2

Democratic education has become a means of societal empowerment for parents, students, teachers and a school administration in contrast to the traditional stream due its resonance with communities where high drop out rates, low-income households, crime entrenched neighborhoods and discriminatory policies are prevalent in a schooling environment. School and non-school factors often combine in ways that further limit the academic progress of those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. 3 From my personal journey of homeschooled learning in varying social upheavals, I can comprehend the importance of an inclusive intellectual community and its contribution democratic habits in citizens. If these social suppressors are minimized, then even a simple resolution of breaking away from sovereign decision makers to inculcate community action forums and youth engagement for self managed learning become the tenets for balancing those social inequalities which are present in the educational institutions.

2 Khan,Aga. Where Hope Takes Root: Democracy and Pluralism in an Independent World, Douglas & McIntyre. 28 May
,2008.Print

3 Northern, Stephanie, Social inequality: Can schools narrow the gap?, British Educational Research Association,
2010, Web.31 Dec.2013, www.bera.ac.uk/system/files/Insight2-web_1.pdf