Education constitutes an independent variable in every society and a direct factor in social contradictions. The school's position in society and the play of forces to which it is subjected make it incapable, however, of being the instrument of true education in the service of humanity or of promoting conviviality. On the contrary, it often serves the purposes of repressive, alienating and dehumanizing societies. Unless educational institutions are suppressed, individuals cannot regain their freedom in society, resume control of the institutions, and thereby recover their initiative in education.