It is not suprising that the banking concept of education regards men as adaptable, manageable beings

It is not suprising that the banking concept of education regards men as adaptable, manageable beings

In his seminal work, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," Brazilian educator Paulo Freire critiques what he calls the "banking concept of education." This concept, according to Freire, treats students as passive recipients of knowledge, who are expected to simply memorize and regurgitate information without critically engaging with it. In this system, teachers are seen as the holders of knowledge, while students are seen as empty vessels waiting to be filled.

Freire argues that this approach to education dehumanizes both teachers and students, reducing them to mere objects in a system that values conformity and obedience over critical thinking and creativity. He writes, "The banking concept of education regards men as adaptable, manageable beings. The more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world."