Core Values of Anarchist Education:

Our current education system is extremely hierarchical. As anarchists we need to develop an alternative. In order to better visualize what an anarchist education system would look like, we need to identify the core principles that this system should be based on.

To name a few, it should be an act of mutual aid, not a means of social control. It should be run by the community it is based in. It should be both free of charge and coercion. Its curriculum should be based around the individual student’s creative desires. It should center learning instead of grading. It should teach open-sourced content.

These schools need to be explicitly against all forms of hierarchy and teach about the nature of hierarchy and power and they’re effect on society. This also means that the schools themselves cannot be a form of hierarchy. The most crucial and difficult part of this is creating an environment where both teachers and students are equals.

This is by no means a complete list of the core values an anarchist education system should be based on but it is a start. If you want to learn more about anarchism and education along with me I encourage you to read Judith Suissa’s ‘Anarchism and Education’ so far it is a very interesting read and I highly recommend it.