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According to the Oxford English Dictionary, knowledge means facts, information and skills acquired through experience or education. Knowledge constitutes the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. Mankind, the descendants of the ape family, is different from all other animals only because of knowledge and its application. And knowledge can be gained only through education.
It goes without saying that education is essential for creating equality and eliminating barriers and discrimination on the basis of race, gender and economic status. A nation’s progress and development depends on the availability of this basic civil right of education to all its citizens. It was for education that a Pakistani schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, defied threats from the Taliban to campaign for the right to education. She survived after being shot in the head by the Taliban and has since become a global advocate for human rights, women’s rights and the right to education.
Importance of Education
Apart from giving the ability to earn a living through professional skills, the outcomes of education are multifarious which include:
Promotion of a democracy through cultivation of a civilized society which in turn will help in the harmonious development of the entire nation.
Cultivation of world peace.
On a personal level, education helps in maturity and integration of personality which helps in the right modification of behaviour helping a human deal with life as a whole.
It has indeed been truly said that “the value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred” and it is knowledge, through education, that stirs one’s soul.
Different Kinds of Education
Apart from school and college education, education constitutes the following:
Adult Literacy: Illiteracy is the bane of any society. Education helps remove this evil and thus governments across the world are trying to remove this evil by giving basic education to adults through established free education centres.
Women’s Education: It has been rightly said that when you “Educate a man, you educate one person, educate a woman, you educate a complete family.” In societies where women have been in the shadows till the late 20th century, special drives and schemes are being conducted to educate women, bring them to the forefront and facilitate a holistic development of the society.
Conclusion
Education helps a person realise their potential, which in return helps foster a stronger and cohesive society. Denying one access to this is to deny one the very basic right to be a complete human being. The importance of education has to be permeated at every level of human society: the family, the community and the state at large.
