In an economy where knowledge is the most valuable commodity a person and a country have to offer, the best jobs will go to the best educated – whether they live in the United States or India or China. – US President Barack Obama, Washington D.C. (July 25th, 2009)
President Barack Obama’s speech makes a strong case for the value of education. He made it very evident that having a decent education is essential to landing a good job and building a successful career.
Restricting education only to get a high-paying job is an insult to the value of education in people’s lives. What other elements, then, make it so important?
To do justice to the title of the article “Education is Power”, I would like to mention who could be the possible addressee of this statement. I consider the following three:
- This is a generic informative statement meant for all human beings.
- This is a suggestive statement for the students.
- This is a recall message for the educated people.
Now I would consider each addressee one by one and try to explain why education is power for them. To start with Human beings in general, this was the call for them since their existence in the world. If we go through the History of human civilization, we will come to know that through the path of education only they have been continuously moving forward from one age to another age and finally reached the present age of modern civilization. An educated person knows how to make productive use of knowledge; they know where to get the knowledge that they need, and they can organize that knowledge into a plan of action that is directed to a definite end.
Advocating for positive change, participating in volunteerism, and challenging your negative thoughts are things that can make the world a better place. Protesting injustices, recycling, and spreading informative news that will motivate people to do better in the world. Nelson Mandela was right when he stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can utilize to transform the world.” Yes, the solution to any issue lies in education. Education is essential if you want to progress and succeed.
Considering it to be meant for the students, I would start with that education helps people become better citizens, get a better-paid job, and shows the difference between good and bad. Education shows us the importance of hard work and, at the same time, helps us grow and develop. Thus, we can shape a better society to live in by knowing and respecting rights, laws, and regulations.
Educated person knows how to make productive use of knowledge; they know where to get the knowledge that they need, and they can organize that knowledge into a plan of action that is directed to a definite end. Students are the future of any country if they are educated enough and have the power to use the knowledge gained through it they are surely going bring change in their life as well as in the status and standards of their country.
Countries that are powerful at the present time, achieved this because of education and research only. So, there is no doubt in accepting the claim that education is power, because:
- Education is gaining knowledge, developing skills, and qualifying.
- Education is the process of imparting information, instruction, and training. In the past, education was provided by the state (a government system), but it is also offered by private providers in many countries today.
- Education is often used to promote equality and increase opportunities for disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Education is also essential for maintaining strong national economies. A high-skilled workforce is more productive than a low-skilled one, and better-educated people earn more throughout their lifetimes than less-educated people do.
Finally, if we consider the addressee to be an educated person then I would like to remind them about a quotation that says, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Inventions and discoveries that are done by educated people are all good if used for the goodness and betterment of the people only and not for controlling and abusing the people. If it happens so then the purpose of propagating the statement that education is power will lose its value and will be a hollow slogan only.
In conclusion, I would like to mention that education is rightly considered to be begetting power. Because it helps you develop critical skills like decision-making, mental agility, problem-solving, and logical thinking. People face problems in their professional as well as personal lives. In such situations, their ability to make rational and informed decisions comes from how educated and self-aware they are. Blind faith and superstitions are what bog down any society.
People also are misled by false propaganda to create hatred and enmity among the people and do more harm than good to society. Let’s not be chained with the power of lust and greed and consider ourselves to be superior and others to be worthless as this always happens when you achieve power and decide to misuse it.
(Author teaches at Faculty of Mathematics, Department of General Education SUC, Sharjah, UAE. Email: [email protected])
