A teacher in school used to say
that thinking is education. Thinking, she said, opened the doors to our mind and
made us receptive to the very idea of broadening our horizons and learning new
things. She used to say, 'Question everything and anything, and you shall learn
in the process'
But why is it important to learn new things? Why is it essential to broaden our
horizons? What is the importance of education? The answer to these questions
lies within all of us. We consider education a coveted commodity. A learned
person is always put up on a pedestal. If one notices the scholars of the world
(people who have achieved great knowledge), we see that they make their presence
felt in the way they speak and the opinions they hold. It is a natural reaction
to bestow feelings of awe and respect upon them. It is therefore very easy to
deduce that education leads to success. But that is not all. The importance of
education in today's society runs deeper than merely success in the worldly
terms.
It was Epictetus who said that only the educated are free. Education releases us
from the confines of our mind and forces us to think and question. It makes us
aware of our rights in the society. It thus grants us the power to never be
enslaved, either by thought or action.
Education makes us broadminded. In fact, there is no better time than the
present to understand this concept. Globalization has transformed the world into
one big village, the borders don't count and neither are there any restrictions
as far gaining knowledge is concerned. It is possible for us to know about the
different cultures or events taking place at the other end of the world. All
this has been made possible due to education. Education has broadened our minds,
so that we are not confined to our countries and comfort zones anymore. We
aren't trapped in our small worlds, instead we have come out of our shells and
begun to explore and learn new things about the world. Learning about new things
and different cultures not only adds to our literacy bank but also instills in
us humane qualities. For example if we see that a society in some other part of
the world has accepted HIV patients and begun to work for them, then we might
also begin to do the same. Maybe we had resorted to shunning them earlier, but
education can change our thought processes for the better. It therefore helps in
making us more tolerant and accepting.
Education forms the basis of any society. It is responsible for the economic,
social, and political growth and development of society in general. Education
imparts knowledge, whereby making discoveries and implementing them for the
betterment of the society becomes possible. The thread of the growth of society
depends upon the quality of education that is being imparted. The better the
quality, the better people can learn and utilize that education to make reforms
that lead to research and development.
The importance of education as a concept needs to be instilled in children from
an early age. They need to be told that education does not simply mean bookish
knowledge or learning things by rote, but holds a much deeper meaning. It means
opening your minds to learn new things and pursue different options. Opting for
higher education provides one with a clearer vision of things, makes one's goals
clearer and makes one more receptive to change. It makes a person rational,
instilling in him an ability to think and question. And these are the basis on
which reforms are made.
Education cannot remain confined to books and classrooms alone. Other than these
sources, it has to be sought from anything and everything that one does. In this
respect, physical education also plays a major role in one's education because
it makes our body healthy and therefore strengthens our mind for seeking more
knowledge. Education also provides opportunities to interact with people from
different walks of life. It leads to better understanding and an exposure of how
the world lives and thinks. It is our duty to inculcate the importance of
education in children. They should be made aware that the list of degrees that
tail an individual's name do not mean that one is educated. It holds a much
wider perspective. Education means to go beyond the degrees and continue to
achieve things by acquiring knowledge. In the real sense, education means to
evolve from being an individual to a human being, capable of not merely
'surviving' but living life.
The importance of education goes beyond the concept of being literate. It goes
much deeper, in denoting a way of life and thinking. Education today has become
synonymous (rightly so) with being a well-informed, thinking person.