Education.

We often hear the phrase “the elephant in the room” used to describe an uncomfortable truth that people avoid discussing. But in my case, I use it both literally and metaphorically, with a touch of sarcasm. I imagine a real elephant trying to fit into a room, and people saying, “That’s impossible!” This reaction reveals something deeper: it reflects assumptions about space, scale, and what is considered “normal.” It also hints at cultural perspectives, what kind of rooms people are used to, and how they perceive the size of an elephant.

But here’s the irony: while people claim an elephant can’t fit in a room, they often leave the door wide open. And when the door is open, even more than it should, the elephant can come in, regardless of the room’s size. This is where the metaphor deepens.

In the context of education, especially foreign education, the “elephant” represents ideas, values, and systems that are foreign to many cultures. These ideas are not neutral; they carry weight, they take up space, and they can destabilize the cultural foundations of those who adopt them uncritically. The room, which is our cultural space, starts to feel smaller, more crowded, less our own.

Most foreign knowledge systems often present themselves as universal, but they are not always compatible with the lived realities of other cultures. When we open our doors too wide, embracing these systems without critical reflection, we risk being displaced in our own intellectual and cultural homes.

So, the elephant in the room is not only the truth we need to face. It is also the uninvited guest, the overwhelming presence that reshapes our space [and this is the elephant in the room, the fact that we know education is not universal, and we keep forcing it to be universal, a truth that we are never ready to address]. The challenge is not to welcome it blindly, but to be discerning about what we let in. We must protect our cultural integrity, question what we are taught, and ensure that education empowers rather than erases.

If I could change one thing in this world, it would be this: to encourage a more critical, culturally grounded approach to education. One that respects diversity, fosters dialogue, and keeps the door open just enough to let in what truly enriches us, without letting the elephant take over the room.