| Abstract: | Starting from the statistically supported trend of post-secondary education in the United States from the academic to the vocational area, this author investigates: - the causes of this wide swing of the pendulum towards vocational education;
- the resulting assumption that education is merely a preparation for an occupation and has no intrinsic value. Three main reasons are given for this development: First, the effort made by schools and universities to fulfil their certification function has resulted in their giving precedence to selection rather than to the education of pupils and students and to equalization of opportunities. Second, the general tendency of society to exclude youth from responsible participation in the life of adults is leading to a change in the societal work process and to a gradual breakdown in the family structure. The third factor is the increase in juvenile delinquency and criminality.
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