“Education: Most Powerful Weapon to Change the World.”
- Introduction
Relevant Quotes
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- Education is described as, “a body of knowledge acquired while being educated.” So in essence Education involves the imparting of knowledge to a person and then the consequent knowledge gained through this process. True education ignites one’ s spirit to bring a positive change. Even Nelson Mandela knew the importance of education that why he Said, education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world . He considers education to be a potent force for changing the world.
- Education is considered to be an important investment in the human resource, and nearly all developing countries have understood and recognized the need to improve education for faster growth. Changing the world refers to changing status quo for better outcomes in terms of wealth generation, productivity, living standard, peace, and equality. The goal of education is to make people wiser, more knowledgeable, better informed, ethical, responsible, critical and capable of continuing to learn.
- From fighting poverty to providing food security to curing diseases – education provides the tools needed to improve quality of life both economically and sociologically in modern society. Imagine If Mandela had no education, would he be able to change his country. In a country like India where there are many cultural and tribal diversities, education is the connecting factor. Education is seen as integral to enabling sustainable development around the world and especially so in developing countries.
- Education enriches people’s understanding of themselves and the world as well as, and us enables to reach peace, prosperity and dignity. It improves the quality of lives and leads to broad social benefits to individuals and society. Education raises people’s productivity, creativity and also promotes entrepreneurship and technological advances. And overall, it plays a very crucial role in securing social progress and reaching economic development.
- There is no denying that Education is at the heart of global developmental planning. Quality education is, in fact, one of the key goals on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and it has propelled many nations and multi-governmental organizations to boost educational spending. So a lot of faith is placed in Education as a tool or weapon to change the world.
Temporal Elaboration
- Points to Think
- If we go back to prehistory, the educational model, if we might call it that, mainly depended on the figure of the mother. Women were in charge of almost all education, while the father figure centred on more concrete aspects related to subsistence, such as hunting and survival. This was a very primary and individual system through which children acquired from their parents the essential knowledge necessary to meet basic needs.
- A first great change, or even revolution, came about in Sumer, Mesopotamia, in 2000 BC, when the first schoolsappeared, centring mainly on teaching writing, and distinguished essentially by the fact that it went a step beyond meeting everyday needs. The people benefitting from this new model were, however, limited to a privileged class.
- The concept of the school as we understand it today – an institution complementing family-based education – played an important role in Ancient Greece. It was at this point when schools first shed their links to religious institutions, present since antiquity, giving way to a more global concept and seeking to cultivate the spirit.
- Education in Greece, and also subsequently in Ancient Rome, sought to provide students with a comprehensive education. By means of instruction in all necessary knowledge, pupils could be fully integrated into society. Different subjects were taught, like Arithmetic, Music and Physical Education.
- A key turning point came when in 1787 Frederick William II of Prussia enacted a scholastic code that wrested responsibility for education from the clergyand assigned it to a Ministry of Education. In this way the State came to be responsible for schools through a coordinated academic system.
- Our own era also deserves to be underscored in history, thanks to the change borne of technology and the possibilities that its integration into the classroom offers. Thanks to technology we have access to more customized education, making it possible to meet the specific needs of each student, adapting the pace of learning to his or her capacities.
- In many countries today it is standard practice for each student to have his own computer. The use of technology in education will be increasingly widespread and important, and not only in the most developed countries. The UNESCO itself indicates that technology can contribute to universal access to education, so as the use of technology expands, it will play an ever more significant role in education around the world.
Education As A Potent Tool To Change The World
- Education spreads awareness:Blind faith and superstitions are what bog down society. People misled by false beliefs do more harm than good to society. Education helps us question, gives us an analytical mind and helps us reject superstitions. An educated mind asks for logic and scientific reasoning behind all actions.
- Education- A tool for improving standard of living: An educated person has more opportunities for employment to earn his livelihood and improve his income. This ensure a quality standard of living.
- Education – Tool for Women Empowerment: Education empowers women and enables them to differentiate between what’s right and what’s wrong for her. Education makes women and girls more aware about their rights and raise voice against early marriages, gender based violence, domestic violence, physical harrasments, crimes against women etc. Many researches have proven that in countries where women are subjected to gender bias, education helped them stand up against marital violence, improved their decision making capabilities and helped them take charge of their own lives.
- Education –tool for achieving Gender Equality: Education is the most effective tool for eliminating the gender based discrimination. Education is an effective tool to make women access their social, political and legal rights, and challenge many gender stereotypes.. An educated woman can confidently participate in key decisions of family, society, business and Politics etc.
- Education- tool for poverty reduction: Education is an important tool for retarding and preventing global poverty. Education provides the poor with a chance to overcome poverty through employment and livelihood generation. By investing in education, people can expect reliable returns over a lifetime unlike other investments.
- Education tool for knowledge enhancement; Education makes a person aware of different cultures, viewpoints, and ideologies. As a result, it increases tolerance among people and gives them hope for a harmonious future.
- Education-a tool to save Environment: Education brings up many environmental topics to students and encourages them to think about the ecosystems around us. Today this is becoming the most important issue to be aware of and education allows us to consume more responsibly and take action to create a sustainable and peaceful planet,
- Education –tool for healthy life : Being more educated also means becoming more aware of the different things we can do to be healthier, whether it’s exercising, eating nutritiously, meditating, or even knowing how to treat wounds and illnesses properly. The education of girls and women can lead to a wide range of benefits from improved maternal health, reduced infant mortality and fertility rates to increased prevention against HIV and AIDS.
- Education- tool for Progress: Better education opens up a host of opportunities and this is especially relevant in the times we live in where technology and education ensure that opportunities are not bound by geography. It is a fact well known that the more degrees you have, better would be your economic performance. There is a deep connection between education and productivity and in this age where there is competition at every turn; education is what will help an industry and subsequently a nation, to flourish.
- Education-tool for Economic Growth: By giving education to every person, economic growth is going to change .Researches show that every extra year of schooling can accelerate a person’s income by 10% later in life. This obviously shows that a country’s GDP can flourish by 1% annually by giving education to its entire population. Enlarging a country’s GDP creates numerous opportunities for both trade and development.
- Education changes society: Education, especially higher education, teaches individuals the skills they need in the workplace. This has a direct impact on the socio-economy of a community. Education promotes political participation, social equality and environmental sustainability. It offers a solution to social and economic development of a society.
- Education-tool to increase agricultural productivity: An educated farmer can use his knowledge to increase the farm productivity like proper use of land for growing crops, appropriate irrigation techniques and fertilizers can avail credit facilities and utilize kisan credit card, take advantage of govt. schemes etc.
- Education – A tool to decriminalize the politics
- Education –a tool de- radicalization
- Education –Tool to solve problem of extremism from India
- Education –a tool to curb corruption
- Education –tool to fight casteism,communalism,regionalism etc.
Initiatives taken to improve education quality in India
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Challenges for Education
Indian level
- Low Budget Allocation to Education Sector
- Lack of Infrastructure(schools etc)
- Lack of will on the part of parents to send their children to schools and colleges to engage them to earn
- Poverty
- Orthodoxy and Female Education
- Lack of connectivity and transportation in rural areas to educational institutions etc.
- Low Teacher Student Ratio
- Lack of basic facilities, especially for girls and women
Global level
- Lack of funding for education
- Lack of Schools or buildings etc: Example sub Saharan countries lack in school buildings
- Lack of basic facilities
- Orthodoxy
- Corruption
- Poverty
- Exclusion of children with disabilities: due to lac k of special facilities for them
Conclusion
- Education is an investment, and one of the most critical investments we can make. And in a knowledge economy, education is the new currency by which nations maintain economic competitiveness and global prosperity. We live in a knowledge based economy, where we probably have access to knowledge more readily than ever before. But knowledge is deemed powerless if it is not interpreted or applied correctly. And herein lies the “power” of Education – it is a tool or a ‘weapon’ that shapes us as human beings, spilling over into society through the actions of individuals who apply their acquired knowledge. The application of knowledge in real life scenarios lead to problem solving, which in turn affects the socio-economies of countries and eventually it contributes to world change.
- Education can change the world by empowering women, generating employment, raising living standards, and by increasing harmony among people. Despite these factors, one cannot deny the fundamental role education plays in bringing about change in a society. It is especially important in modern societies that are driven by communication and technological development. For a developing country such as India, the focus should be on investment in affordable and quality education if we want to create employment, increase living standards, and reduce inequality among citizens. There is a need for a clear education policy, which seeks to achieve a high level of learning outcomes and focuses on providing relevant and accessible education for everyone. If education is a powerful weapon, it should reach everyone.
- Given the importance of education, countries need to concentrate on providing affordable and quality education that can help them achieve development targets and also bring about overall positive change in the society. Therefore Education has the latent potential to initiate change, not only at the heart of a person, but in society, and in time the world. It is this deep-rooted nature of change that makes Education one of the most powerful weapons to impact the human race – to change the world.To quote Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, “books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first.”