There are so many definitions of education that one can find. But the one that most inspires me is this:
“Education is the act of teaching people how to find and use information in solving problems.”
Therefore an educated person is the one who is able to search and utilize information to overcome any difficult obstacle in any area of his life.
So it is not more of attaining academic degrees or qualification but rather solving problems.
If you look at our existing educational system today, you will notice that education has been reduced only to an exchange of instructions and nothing more. We have drifted because of the rapid commercialization and that is why it is extremely important for us to know about the significance of education.
If someone is able to read or write, has gone to school and attained a degree, it does not necessarily mean that he has a complete education. This may well mean that he has gotten the knowledge that makes him aware of the world around him.
But to be truly educated, one must be able to use that knowledge or information in solving problems for himself and his society.
Let’s now take a look at the topmost 8 reasons why education is extremely important.
- Education brings social harmony and peace.
Education majorly affects our understanding of the difference between right and wrong. An educated person is well aware of the consequences of wrong or illegal actions and he is less likely to get influenced and do something which is not legally or morally right.
Also, a number of uneducated people who live a poverty-stricken life owing to lack of opportunities often turn to illegal ways such as theft and robbery to solve their problems. If you are educated, you are well aware of your rights, the law and your responsibilities towards the society. Hence, education is an important factor which contributes to social harmony and peace.
- Education improves the economic prosperity of a country.
Australia, USA, and Japan are few countries with very high literacy rates.
These countries are extremely prosperous and the citizens have a high per capita income. On the other hand, in underdeveloped and developing nations, where the literacy rate is not as high, a number of people are still living below the poverty line.
In countries where most citizens are educated, they have the ability to become entrepreneurs, scientists, and agriculturists, thereby improving the economic prosperity of the country.
- Educations turn dreams into reality.
What is your dream, your aim in life? Do you want to become rich? Do you want to be popular? Do you want to be an extremely successful person who is respected by people?
Well, the key to all this is education. Of course, even if your dream is to become a sportsman who doesn’t necessary needs a degree, your success in sport may require of your continues searching and utilizing new information in the line of your career and education is that which can help you realize that dream.
- Education saves you from being cheated.
With education, you can learn to read and write. This can save you from being exploited and fooled.
We live in a country where we enjoy a number of rights and freedom. It is easier to take advantage of innocent and illiterate people.
They may be trapped into signing false documents or be deprived of some right which they have because unlike an educated person they are not well aware of their rights and freedoms.
- Education produces well-cultured and wise men.
Education also produces well-cultured and wise men. It is often said that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
If children of today study hard to become good students, then they will surely become good citizens in future.
It is not easy to measure the loss which the human race has suffered on account of education by men and women who had exceptional talent but could not make full use of it.
- Education provides equal opportunities.
If we want to see the world as a just and fair place where everyone is given equal opportunities, education is what we require. Education is a must if we want to do away with the existing differences between different social classes and genders.
It opens a whole world of opportunities for the poor so that they may have an equal shot at well-paying jobs. Education also plays a major role in women empowerment.
Any privilege, when based on merit alone, is bound to fail because it has to justify no unmerited privilege, advocate no ethical system which promotes class-feeling or social snobbery and defend nothing, which is unjust or ethically wrong. The aim of education, whatever the social system, must be not only to disseminate knowledge but also to stimulate the questioning spirit.
Educational institutions cannot produce saints. But they can certainly inculcate among students respect for spiritual and ethical values and make them understand that the promotion of human welfare, not self-aggrandizement is key to success.
- Education Transmits national culture.
Education is an important medium to transmit national culture to the students. Of course, educational institutions are not the only agencies through which the culture of the nation can be passed on to the younger generations.
The home exercises a powerful influence on the youthful mind. Religion and churches have a big role to play in making men truly cultured and moral. But schools and colleges have also a contribution to make to the transmission of national culture.
- Education builds character in people.
Education also helps in building the character of a person. The educational teachers make attempts to give their students a moral outlook.
That is why an educated doctor will not only treat his patient well using all available means, but he also treats them with compassion and humility and genuinely cares for his patient’s welfare.
It is also same for an educated bus or truck driver, because he will know how to talk to people politely and uses appropriate language with everyone, be it his passengers or fellow drivers on the road.
Remember, education is not about qualification but problem-solving, so you can use a person’s character to determine whether he is educated or not.
For example, a well-educated teacher will be successful in teaching his students effectively but will also find ways of meeting his student needs and tweak his instructions accordingly.
Indeed a truly educated society can help everyone to grow and develop as individuals in their respective fields.
Conclusion
The aim of education is not to pill up a student with knowledge and instructions but to teach them how to find information and help them use that information in solving problems for themselves and their society.
From childhood, students must be constantly reminded that the fundamental law of life is co-operation in solving problems, not self-aggrandizement, domination, complain or conflict.
If students are intellectually and morally brought up and taught how to find and utilize information most of our troubles would have ended and life would have been much healthier, richer and nobler than ever before.
