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doubt sorne American college stu–
dents who are under the mistaken
impression that the Falkland
lslands confrontation is taking
place just off the shores of their
home state!
It's laughable-or is it?
For decades now, pollsters have
had a field day documenting the
geographic illiteracy of high school
and college students. What disturbs
pollsters the most is the incredible
lack of knowledge about the vitally
important concerns of the day–
issues that are widely reported and
discussed in the news media.
During the Vietnam War, for
example, many American students
could not even come near to locat–
ing Vietnam on a world map! Many
had not even heard of Laos.
A government survey in 1980
showed that an amazing 40 percent
of American high school seniors
thought Israel was an
Arab
coun–
try! And that the late Golda Meir
had been president of
Egypt!
In a study earlier this year, a
majority of students at a major uni–
versity did not know that war-torn
El Salvador is in Central America!
Unbelievable?
Not really.
Even more disturbing are the
revelations of recent years about
the ignorance of basic geography at
high levels in the U .S. govern–
ment.
In one widely publicized inci–
dent, a newly appointed ambassa–
dor to an Asían country had no idea
that there were two governments
on the Korean peninsula-one in
communist North Korea and one in
noncommunist South Korea. Nor
did this person know the capital of
Australia [Canberra]-or even rec–
ognize the name when he heard it!
Sorne years earlier an embar–
rassed nominee for ambassador to
Ceylon admitted to a senate com–
mittee that he had no idea of the
name of the capital of the country
for which he was being considered!
[The capital of Ceylon-now called
Sri Lanka-is Colombo.]
A well-read 1O year old in many
countries could have easi ly set
these individuals straight!
Cellar Positlon
Americans today know dangerously
8
little about the world. For many
Americans, the world stops at the
edge of town.
This hazy knowledge of the
world beyond America's doorstep is
a continua! source of amazement to
foreign-born students studying in
American colleges and universi–
ties.
Geography was one of the first
basic subjects to be relegated to a
cellar position in the American
high school and college. Today,
nine out of ten graduating high
school and college students have
not been exposed to
even one
course in the subject!
The average high school student
in the United States today takes 30
percent less geography than stu-
''
lt
is impossible to properly
evaluate a world event
without an understanding
of geographic
relationships of countries.
Geography makes
current events come alive!
''
dents a generation ago. And a gen–
eration ago students took precious
little!
The vast majority of high schools
no longer teach world geography as
a separate subject. Geography has
either dropped out of the currícu–
lum completely, or has been
lumped in with "social studies"–
an amalgam of history, economics,
government, sociology and related
subjects. And even social studies as
a whole are being slighted.
Educators
used to
believe that a
person was not educated if he was
ignorant of the world in which he
lives.
Not so today!
Notice the contrast:
Among the questions asked in an
1875 U.S. high school
entrance
examination were: "Name the
countries of Europe, Asia and Afri–
ca that touch upon the Mediterra–
nean Sea" and "Name the states of
the union bordering on the Atlan-
tic, on the Gulf of Mexico, on the
Pacific and on the Great Lakes."
How many young Americans
entering high school today could
answer these questions? How many
high ·school graduates? How many
college
students or graduates?
And how many who admittedly
don't know would be motivated
enough to
find out?
Educatlonal Folly
Few American·high schools are act–
ing like high schools these days. In
many, the basics are being aban–
doned in favor of the "trendy" and
the "innovative." At a time when
too many young people can't read,
compose a siqtple paragraph or
locate their own country on a world
map, courses such as "Rock Music
as Literature" and "Basic TV Pro–
duction" are replacing what once
were core classes of basic knowl–
edge.
As a result, ignorance and illiter–
acy are
rampant
on high school and
college campuses!
Education is in deep trouble.
The decay of schooling in America
is more serious than many realize.
Declining achievement rates on
basic elements of knowledge have
declared that fact for years.
Yet high schools and colleges
seem unable to counter the trend.
Why?
Modero education is adrift on a
sea of false values, driven by winds
of fluctuating trends and fashions.
Few seem to be able to agree even
on the
goals
of education, much
less the
methods
of achieving
them.
Education has rejected the
foun–
dation
of all knowledge. That foun–
dation is
the Bible!
(See "Survival
Guide for Students and Educators"
in the April, 1982,
Plain Truth.)
Having cut anchor from this foun–
dation, modero education has
drifted
off course
and has
/ost its
way!
It's only logical. Without a
knowledge of the true
purpose
of
life, institutions simply cannot pro–
vide the proper education toward
achieving it!
Thus, high schools pander to
irrelevant student interests rather
than provide a
real
education. Stu–
(Continued on page 12)
The PLAIN TRUTH