Assalam U Aleikum
Traditionally by education we mean to get knowledge. We make our child go to a
school and college, and, maximum, try to understand and get a clear concept of
what his teachers tries to inculcate, and that's all. In our schools and
colleges there is least provision of any thing else.
Being teacher for the last twenty three years, I don't think we are going right.
I have been searching and researching to find out what should education mean. I
have been Education Instructor in Pakistan Air Force for six years, and there I
tried to find out what does education mean. I was told that "education here
means to equip the air force personnel with the necessary mental weapons, so
that they can dispose off their duties in a better way. To a great extent they
were right. But I could not accommodate myself with that. Main reason for my
failure in this regard was that, having Masters in Economics, I envisioned
something else. I thought that education should be a power to enable us to
utilize our resources in the best possible way, with minimum wastage and maximum
target achievement. The result was that I had to come towards General Education.
I joined Secondary Education and started finding out education meant for common
masses. Here I had to meet great frustration. I found that as a general picture,
we have confined ourselves to theory. We learn and teach a set of subjects, the
students mostly memorize, and at the end of the year, they reproduce a small
part in the examination, and get a degree.
To me, education means more than this. To be very precise, I will say the
following:
EDUCATION= KNOWLEDGE + APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE + RIGHT APPLICATION
I think no detail elaboration of my theory is required. However I will say a few
words so that my point of view is clear to every one who is studying this
article.
The subjects we teach in the class, cover the knowledge part. Through this we
get information about a variety of phenomenon around.
After understanding these information, we need to apply them. At least that part
which is applicable in our specific environment. This will definitely need many
provisions in the school/college. Some of them can be: laboratories, workshops,
play grounds, visits and tours, etc.
If provisions for application are ensured, then right application has to be made
target, so that the knowledge starts benefits. In this regard, our approach must
be collective, so that the total benefit is maximum possible, and maximum pupils
are better off. This target of right application of knowledge can be achieved by
teaching norms and values prescribed by our religion and society.
To sum up, I can surely say that our education needs to be economically and
socially beneficial, for the individual as well as for the society.