In 1971, a philosopher named Ivan Illich published a book called “Deschooling Society” – a critique of education in modern societies that called for the imminent abolition of schools. His radical ideas highlighted the institutionalization of schools and advocated self-motivated learning that could only occur outside formal school boundaries. Many dismissed his thinking as impractical or too radical for his time, and although the schools did not actually disappear, Illich put forward ideas that still retain some relevance to this day (Hart, 2000). This essay will discuss what Illich sees as the goals of education, how he thinks these can be achieved, and what the outcome would be if these ideas were applied to the current education system. Illich argued that although schools were recognized as the specialized institution of education, he saw the school's role as an instrument of social control, spreading existing political ideologies and preserving the status quo of society (1971). The ideology was maintained through teachers who assumed a powerful role, dictating how and what to teach their students. It was a common belief that education could only be provided by a suitably qualified person (1971). This attitude is the one used by Illich to support his theory that schools have become bureaucratized. To further this notion, Illich made a clear difference between schooling and learning. School was linked to bureaucracy and teaching, and learning occurred independently of the former (1971). This idea is easily understandable when you consider where most of their learning takes place: outside of school, during everyday life experiences and encounters with other people. Illich (1971), stated that the opposite of school with...... middle of paper ......, S. (2010). From VLEs to learning networks: the implications of Web 2.0 for learning and teaching. Interactive Learning Environments, 18(1), 1-10. doi: 10.1080/10494820802158983 Commissioner for Children. (2008). Legal. Retrieved from http://www.occ.org.nz/advice/legalHart, I. (2000). Deschooling and the web: Ivan Illich 30 years later. Education Media International, 38(2/3), 69-76. doi: 10.1080/09583980110041449Illich, I. (1971). Deschooling society. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books.Schuller, T. (1999, February). From schooling to social capital. Paper presented at the European conference Lifelong learning – Inside and outside school, University of Bremen. Whittington, D. & McLean, A. (2001). Professional learning outside institutions: online pedagogy and deschooling. Continuing Education Studies, 23(2), 153-167. doi: 10.1080/0158370120101939