Tell us what education means to you, and how you think it can benefit individuals and nations?

“Education is the manifestation of knowledge already in man” – these are the words of renowned scholar
Swami Vivekananda. It means that education is the means to bring out inborn faculties in man. The
scientific community has always wondered about the power of human mind. Though there are established
theories for the process of evolution of humankind, even today we believe that human mind still has a
long way to go before it can be considered fully evolved and more efforts are needed to completely
explore the potentials of the human mind.

I strongly believe that education is a very basic necessity of life. Education gives us knowledge of the
world around us. Our perception of life and the outside world is strongly influenced by the quality of
education we have had. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on everything in life. It is
instrumental in development of values and ideals.

Education can be either formal or informal. Formal education refers to attending schools and obtaining
qualifications and informal education refers to learning from experience and observation, which is, unlike
the former, something everyone does throughout their life.

Formal Education

Different stages in education impart different kinds of knowledge and every stage adds to our
understanding of life. From learning how to read and write to studying for a Masters degree, we go
through a formal process of schooling. Education teaches us the belief that everything has a science to it
and it encourages the ability to reason, be inquisitive and seek answers to questions.

During ancient times, Indian societies practiced the culture of ‘Brahmopadesha’ wherein a child was sent
to ‘Gurukul’ at the age of nine or ten. A learned teacher, or ‘guru’, would accept them as students to pass
on the knowledge he had been taught by his guru and this process would continue. The skills taught
included everything from literature, arts and sciences such as astrology and medicine. It also included
administrative and war skills to prepare students to become scholars, good warriors or administrators. The
result of such a system was that societies had strong roots and were made up of highly educated, model
citizens.

Today, though the meaning and conception of formal education has drastically changed, it remains
equally important as it was in ancient times. Education equips us with the skills required to have a
flourishing and successful career as employers seek out experts within their fields to ensure their
companies are strong and competitive. In the employment market candidates are gauged by their
educational skills and their ability to apply them.

Today we can enjoy some of the most advanced technologies known to man thanks to hard work and a
huge amount of research, with each new product designed to outperform the previous. These
developments have been vastly appreciated within many industries such as medicine, sports science and
information technology. Without a strong education system, these developments may not have been
possible.

When we talk about formal education, we refer to ‘literacy’ which means ‘ability to read, write and
understand basic needs of life.’ However, this definition is very limited. It does not take into account the
vast amount of knowledge we gain through our experience with life. Our culture and tradition instils in us
values such as respect, harmony within society and discipline. Though formal education is just a base for
cultivating all these, it depends on how an individual develops as a responsible person and this knowledge
can only come through means outside of schooling. Every individual should strive to become confident
enough to make decisions, face life, and accept successes and failures.

How Does Education Benefit Nations?

Individuals are building blocks of any nation. Every citizen in a country is responsible for the growth and
development of the nation. The words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, famous essayist and poet, “The State
must follow, and not lead, the character and progress of the citizen” signify that any nation will follow the
footsteps of the contributing individuals and not the other way round. Education has a significant role to
play in preparing individuals to become pillars of any nation. The future of a nation is safe in the hands of
educated individuals. Educated individuals should understand their duties and become law abiding
citizens. Only if people are literate enough can they understand the country’s social, economic and
political situation and work towards its betterment. Knowledge of the duties owed to one's own State is an
essential aspect of a nation in terms of the laws and principles involved.

All through history, we have seen rise and fall of civilizations and empires. A single folly of a ruler can
put the entire kingdom at stake. Hence, the ancient scriptures and texts always emphasise that a good ruler
should always be surrounded by wise, educated scholars and take advice from them. According to
Chanakya, the architect of Mauryan Empire and renowned scholar, without the intellectual assistance of
his council of ministers it is not possible for the ruler to take the right decisions regarding his duties. It
signifies the importance of learned scholars in all the affairs of a state. Education should make us qualify
for the word ‘Learned’ both in our words and in deeds.

Individuals have a role to play in all the fields. On the political front, people choose leaders who sit in the
council and take decisions on behalf of all the citizens of the country. In a democratic country, it is
important for everyone to exercise their right to choose their leaders. People should cautiously choose
representatives who can honestly speak for them. If people are educated, they can keep themselves
informed of the current state of affairs and choose the right leaders.

On the economic front, the financial state of a country depends on how financially sound its people are. It
is the tax-payers money that will be invested by the government for the development of infrastructure,
science, technology and defence. Development in these areas will eventually lead to overall development
of the country. If people are well-educated and contribute to the country’s GDP, then the country will
prosper in all the fields. Of all the resources, human resource is the greatest asset of any nation and hence
governments take initiatives to provide at least basic education to people of all sections, irrespective of
their social or economic standing. UNESCO has been trying to enforce education as a necessary factor for
the welfare of all the countries. It is quite evident that developing countries are catching up with the
developed nations with respect to industrialization, space technology and other fields and this can be
attributed to acquiring key skills through proper education.

Education should also foster principles of equality. Any society has a certain social structure and
education should arm us to understand the social fabric. In a multicultural society, if people learn to
develop a sense of acceptance and resilience to each other’s customs and traditions, they will ultimately
treat each other as equals. Discrimination should be eliminated early on by providing the same level of
education to all people regardless of cast or creed. This is only possible if governments lead by example
and remove barriers to education for those who may otherwise struggle to enter the system. Once
education is provided equally, then surely an equal access to livelihood will follow.

A nation is completely free of all binds only if its people understand and respect the freedom of thought
and expression of each other. Hence, the words of Edward Everett, one of the famous American politician
and educator - “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army” – is certainly states the
potential education has.

In conclusion, without education societies would not develop, technologies would not expand, economic
infrastructures would collapse and democracy would fail. Education forms a support system for talents to
excel in life. It is the backbone of society. Education should cultivate us into mature individuals,
individuals capable of planning for our futures and taking the right decisions. According to me, education
should make individuals self-reliant and instil the sense of social responsibility and only then can
everyone contribute to the development of a nation. If an individual can broaden the horizons of thoughts
from me to ‘my nation and the world’, then the concept of a global citizen will be a reality than a reverie.
Thus, it benefits not just individuals and nations but the whole world and makes world a better place to
live.