DEEP THOUGHTS - Education: Its Infinite And Endless Vistas

MONDAYS 10AM

That Education is the bedrock of any society’s development is no longer news. This is the reason why Education is given so much importance because of its enormous potential as the solution for all evil vices and the forerunner of good virtues. Even research also buttress the importance of Education as according to “target study group”, recent researches have concluded and proved that there is a 2year rise in life expectancy for every 1% increase in a nation’s illiteracy.

The history of Education is as old as man himself. This is because right from when man began to have a curious and conscious mind to learn everything about his environment and how to survive, he had to basically educate himself and whatever he learnt, he passed it down to the next generation who improved on it and made it suitable for human and intellectual consumption like the starting of fire with stones to use of matches/lighter, the wisdom of the ancients understood and expounded for all to grasp its meaning.

As Malcolm X said “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today” and John Dewey who posits that “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”. The importance of Education indeed cannot be underestimated nor its scope and range limited. Education is not just about being intelligent, it is also about being creative, it is not just about being wise, it is about being logical and not about being stereotypical, but about being dynamic. A thoroughly educated individual doesn’t feel like a savant, but is always humble to acquire new knowledge.

All these are in respect to people who focus on one aspect of learning and are illiterate in others. Some people focus on the formal aspects of Education in the four walls of a school and neglect the informal education in the round circle of life. This makes them ignorant to the dealings and ways of human beings. Some individuals are versatile in facts just to win an argument, rather than to project a logical and objective presentation. Then some people are educated and so steep in their knowledge that they don’t welcome the logic and the beauty of another and thus engage in nefarious and barbaric activities rivaled only by ignorant and unlearned men. Thus, they become “Educated illiterates”.

It is important to note that Education is continuous and there is no end to it. Its scope therefore cannot be determined. As Anthony D’Angelo further illustrates it “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow”. Also, Albert Einstein puts it like this “Education is what remained after one has forgotten what he has learnt in school”. Therefore, it is important to be educated in all aspects of our life and in acquiring learning, acknowledge that everything you have learnt is not final but subjected to reasonable and logical change.

Jilams Odigwe is an enthusiastic writer who borders the line between a realist and optimist. His love for art is fluid, which makes Bon vivant of some sort...

All rights to this content is reserved, No part of this content may be used or reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and uses permitted by copy right law. For permission requests, email the media team at: content@niwcolony.com. Please click on the subscribe button to receive latest blog updates.