Education, as M K Gandhi defines it, is an “all-around drawing out of the best in child and man – body, mind, and spirit.” It is a tool that is indispensable not only for the personal, moral, and spiritual growth and development of an individual but also for the overall economic, intellectual, moral, and social development of a country. It takes an individual out of the morass of ignorance and dark labyrinth and exposes him to the world of light.
A nation cannot move forward economically and socially if it is not educationally empowered. The Quran and hadith are replete with verses and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that lay so much emphasis on the importance of education. The first verse of the Quran revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reads, “Read in the name of your lord who created, created man from a clinging Substance. Read, and your lord is the most generous – who taught by the pen – taught man that which he knew not.” The Quran, at another place in Chapter 6, verse 50, asks, “Are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.” The Quran, in its eloquent language, emphasizes that knowledge is a pathway to a deeper connection with Allah, an instrument to lead humanity toward a life imbued with wisdom, compassion, and purpose.
For the Greek philosopher Plato, education is a means to achieve justice, both individual justice and social justice. For John Dewey, education and learning are social and interactive processes, and he sees education not only as a process for content knowledge but also as a process to learn and let live. Having put across my point of view on the importance of education, let’s now move forward and talk about its present scenario.
The present scenario of education, if not pathetic, is bad all over the globe, and our state is no exception. It has been reduced to a mere competition between individuals where one has to leave others behind to strive forward and be successful. It is devoid of inculcating feelings of love, compassion, sympathy, and empathy for one another and for other creatures. Far from inculcating the values of belongingness, it is a tool used to make weapons of mass destruction to kill and massacre others. It is a tool used not to bridge the gaps between the powerful and the powerless but to create hierarchies of power structures.
The concept of education in present times is restricted to qualifying exams and as a means of getting a government job. It is restricted to cramming notes and getting good grades. As such, no surprises on why only a minuscule percent of the population studies beyond notes and focuses on reading books. Alas! Reading is merely considered a waste of time and energy, and a job and grades are considered as an end to this sacred and pious duty. Producing scholarship, doing cutting-edge research, reading good books, and writing books are seen as alien to our collective social and economic well-being.
Education, if taken in a holistic sense, cannot only be used as a tool to cut across barriers of caste, colour, creed, bias, and prejudice but also to overcome the challenges and crises that we face collectively as a human race. It can be used to tackle problems of unemployment, drug addiction, and social degradation. Through moral education, we can nurture a culture that can curb issues of eve-teasing, woman harassment, sextortion, and human trafficking. It can also be used as a tool to empower women socially, intellectually, and economically.
Education can go a long way in bridging the gap of gender disparity in both the private and government sectors. In a nutshell, a society that is not educationally empowered in a holistic manner can give rise not only to morally corrupted and antisocial elements but can give rise to a dead society with little or no concern for the laws of the state and collective human welfare.
The writer is a student of Education and can be reached at fa***********@***il.com