Education is the most powerful weapon

A South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.  He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election

During one of his speeches in Madison Park High School, Boston on the 23rd June 1990 Nelson Mandela said

‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’.

On the occasion of the International Day of Education, we would like to discuss how Education is the most powerful weapon. In modern society, education provides one with the tools to improve their quality of life both economically and sociologically. Thus, education has the power to change your life right from promoting gender equality to reducing poverty. Education is a single tool that can bring changes in society without creating any repercussions.

The power of education can also be seen from the fact that even the sustainable development goal includes education as one of its pillars. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have added providing universal primary education to all and eliminating gender inequities as one of the goals which have propelled many nations and multi-governmental organizations to boost educational spending.

At present, the global situation of education states that an estimated 61 million primary-aged children are out of school, and almost half of them are in conflict-affected poor countries. Even the students who go to school finish without basic literacy and numeracy skills: it is estimated that 250 million children cannot read, write or count well.

How education makes a difference?

Learning is a continuous process and a never-ending one and everyone keeps learning something or the other till the end of their life. With learning comes new ideas and before you know you are breaking the preconceived notions. This change in your surroundings and your personality helps you to interact with each other and you feel free to express your ideas. It helps in developing a perspective towards life and building opinions about life.

This is how education creates a difference in all our lives and makes a difference in us.

How does education changes society?

The Indian society is very diverse and has people from all walks of life and mindset, but the one thing that connects us all and makes us stand for anything wrong in education. An educated person does not only make a difference in his/her life but also the life of others around him. They can guide the other in the right path and provide a variety of ideas related to political participation, social equality, or environmental sustainability. Thus, education is a weapon that can help you follow the right path and the right decision bringing a change in the society around us.

There are various ways in which education brings changes to society some of which are mentioned below:

1. Provides Knowledge: As social beings, it is extremely necessary that we are aware of our surroundings, our society, and other societies so that we can see what is wrong and how it can be improved. So the first thing that you gain from education is knowledge, knowledge of the world around us and changes that can help make it into something better While education is not the only thing that gives information about the world, but it provides a tool to convert this information into knowledge. So education itself is not a weapon but it gives you knowledge which in itself is a weapon stronger than any lethal one as though you cannot fire it, you know what to do if one is fired at you.
2. Solve Problems: Whether it is some economic, societal, medical, or political issue it is always the learned and educated people who understand the situation, who are called for solving the problem and finding a way out of the mess. This is also the reason why for applying to any position in the government or private sector it is important to be learned and proficient in your craft in order to scale new heights and create a place for yourself. Education helps every individual to:

• Discern good information from bad.
• Identify reliable information sources.
• Conduct research.
• Identify bias.
• Draw conclusions and make inferences.
• Develop curiosity.

3. Fight Social evils: Every society has some of the other shortcomings and social evils that they are trying to overcome. In India too we are trying to fight various social evils like poverty, gender disparity, casteism, and many more. As long as some learned person does not understand how these social evils are eating and hampering our economy these evils will prevail and grow. Dr. B.R Ambedkar took the initiative to fight the caste evil, similarly, Dayanand Saraswati was a learned and educated person who stood for women’s rights. Thus in order to fight these social evils, it is necessary that we address them and plan out a strategy to phase them out instead of letting them grow into our system and daily life.
4. Courage to speak: With so much going around us, we need people who can gather the courage and speak against it all. The courage to speak forth your views and make everyone listen to what you want to speak also requires knowledge and education about your niche. Swami Vivekananda was a perfect example of this. A simple and learned man who gave an iconic and eloquent speech on September 11, at the Chicago Convention of Parliament of Religions. In his speech, Swami Vivekananda introduced the real meaning of Hinduism to the world and spoke about intolerance, religion, and the need to end all forms of fanaticism.

A simple man, he made the world go spellbound with his amazing thoughts which he very beautifully showcased in his speech. Thus, education is the weapon that gives you the courage to speak your mind out without having to worry about who are you speaking to and what other people might think of you.

5. Growth of the society: Education is not just restricted to doing a job and getting a salary, it also includes the many talented entrepreneurs who create a mark for themselves and help in the growth of the society and the country as a whole. Education provides you the confidence to take that first step of dreaming something big and envisioning a life of setting up a business on your name.
6. It gives us a healthier lifestyle: A research which was conducted in central European OECD countries shows that better-educated people are more likely to live longer and have better lifestyles than those who are not educated. It states that ‘a 30-year-old tertiary-educated man can expect to live eight years longer than a 30-year-old man who has not completed upper secondary education. While a tertiary-educated woman can expect to live four years longer than a woman without an upper secondary education.
7. Helps us to be more productive: In these competitive times when nobody is unique, education creates the difference as it is directly related to productivity. A fact states that the more degrees you have the better will be your economic performance. Thus, education is what actually helps industry and subsequently a nation, to flourish. Educated people use their knowledge to research, innovate, create policies, and make and execute decisions that can have a huge and long-lasting impact
8. It helps us connect across borders: With so many different cultures, languages, and traditions in every part of the world, the one thing that stays common is education. Digital education has helped us connect across borders and given the students from across the borders an opportunity to connect, bond, communicate and work with other like-minded people around the world and build a better and productive future.

Learned people also are called to express themselves both verbally and in writing, as a result of which they develop better communication skills. The People learn to use language effectively to communicate ideas, defend opinions and ask questions with and beyond the borders.

9. It gives empowerment: Weakness and strength are two sides of a room that are connected through education. Education helps one from turning their weaknesses into their strength. It gives us the confidence to stand for ourselves and improve our decision-making capabilities. ‘Brain is like a muscle the more people use it through studying, researching, discussing ideas, debating, conducting experiments, and testing their knowledge the stronger their brains become. This leads to better memory and recalling power, improved ability to process information, and leads to a faster and better understanding of the world around thus empowering you to stand for yourself and the others around you.
10. Provides Better Health Outcomes: Education leads to a higher salary and thus a better standard of living. Through education, one gets a better understanding of the need for proper health care thus providing better health outcomes. Educated individuals understand the need for good medical care and thus live in communities and societies which have better medical facilities accessible as their income and knowledge allow them access to the care that they need.

The very famous Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai wrote in her book “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.” Thus, revisiting all the above points on how Education acts as a weapon we all can draw the conclusion that education is a great equalizer that helps improve the standard of living, benefits communities, even protect individuals from abuse and expectation. Improving access to and quality of education leads to better outcomes at every level.

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