Education is a tool that we should never play with; it is like a lamp that gets one’s mind out of the darkness. I always pity parents who believe there is no value in education. Some have even concluded that education is valueless. This is like saying you prefer darkness to light or staying in the world of the unknown instead of being in the world of the known. They have forgotten that “A child without education, is like a bird without wings – Tibelan proverb” This is like saying you prefer darkness to light or staying in the world of the unknown instead of being in the world of the known. There is always joy in your heart when you know what you need to know. There is no substitute for a heart that is well-educated. Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. – Daniel J. Boorstin
There is a level of personal fulfillment when you unlock what baffles understanding and cannot be explained. When this is done, you will know that you have enlightened your mind and the minds of those who are willing to receive from you. I believe everyone is in the quest of knowing, and that is why we should not joke with education.
Great men and women of old have sat down to reason out some of the importance of education. Their reasoning is a result of the great conviction they have about education. They looked inward to bring out the precious stones inside education for us to embrace it as a tool for greatness. Some of the quotes are as follows:
- “Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive: easy to govern, but impossible to enslave – Peter Brougham”
- “Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another – G. K. Chesterton”.
- “What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul – Joseph Addison”.
- “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom – George Washington Carver”.
- “The fruit of liberal education is not learning, but the capacity and desire to learn, not knowledge, but power – Charles W. Eliot”.
- “The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursuing his education – John W. Gardner”.
- “Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be maintained – James A. Garfield”.
- “Education should bring to light the ideal of the individual – J.P Richter”.
- “When asked how much educated men were superior to those uneducated, Aristotle answered, As much as the living are to the dead – Diogenes Laetius”
- “Upon the education of the people of this country, the fate of this country depends – Benjamin Disraeli”.
- “Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if tangible white darkness shut you in and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummet and sounding line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without a compass or sounding line, and no way of knowing how near the harbour was. “Light! Give me light!” was the wordless cry of my soul, and the light of love shone on me in that very hour – Helen Keller”.
Some of the board aims of education in Nigeria as contained in section 4 subsection 18 of the educational policy (1981 pg 16) are:
- To raise a generation of people who can THINK for themselves, respect the views and feelings of others …
- To inspire its students with a desire for ACHIEVEMENT and SELF IMPROVEMENT …
These quotes and our educational policy point to one thing which is self-discovery for great achievement. Education puts you on a platform where you can explore everything that is deposited in you by your creator. It also equips you for the task ahead that is you are better informed and prepared. I love what Helen Keller compared education with, she compared it with light.
The importance of education cannot be overemphasized, you only need to get your views right and see it as an important tool for greatness.
Read: Importance of education in fighting corruption in Nigeria
The value of education has eaten some people to the extent that they say take away my money but don’t take away education. They believe with education money will eventually come back. It is not about money, it is all about the right education.” A man informed is a man reformed – Bolarinwa”
It is worth noting that the right education is my focus in this article. The right education adds value to your life and the people around you. J.F. Kennedy said, “A child miseducated is a child lost”. I am not talking about education that is self-destructive but the right education that will bring about a transformation and better your life.
I would like to drop this with some students who feel they aren’t doing well academically. Confucius said, “It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop”. You can be great academically if you don’t stop.
