Importance of Education

My teacher in high school used to say that education is thinking. Thinking she said, opened the doors to our minds and made us receptive to the very idea of broadening our horizons and learning new things. She used to say, 'Question everything and anything, and you shall learn'. But why is it important to learn new things? Why is it essential to broaden our horizons? What is the importance of education? The answer to these questions lies within all of us. We consider education to be a coveted commodity. A learned person is always put up on a pedestal. If one notices the scholars of the world (people who have achieved great knowledge) we see that they make their presence felt in the way they speak and the opinions they hold. It is a natural reaction to bestow feelings of awe and respect upon them. Observe how all the CEOs, government officials and leaders of the world are all highly educated. It is therefore very easy to deduce that education leads to success. But that is not all, the importance of education in today's society runs deeper than success.

Education Opens Our Minds
The importance of receiving education in our lives cannot be doubted. Education opens up our minds and makes us broadminded. There is no better time than the present to understand this. Gobalization has transformed the world into one big village. It is possible for us to know about the different cultures or events taking place at the other end of the world today. All this has been made possible due to education. Education has broadened our minds, so that we are not confined to our countries and comfort zones anymore. We aren't trapped in our small worlds, instead we have come out of our shells and begun to explore and learn new things. Learning about new things and different cultures not only adds to our literacy bank but also instills in us humane qualities. For example if we see that a society in some other part of the world has accepted HIV patients and begun to work for them, then we might also begin to do the same. Maybe we had resorted to shunning them earlier but education can change our thought processes for the better. It therefore helps in making us more tolerant and accepting.

Forms the Basis of Society
Education forms the basis of any society. It is responsible for the economic, social, and political growth and development of society in general. Education imparts knowledge whereby making discoveries and implementing them for the betterment of the society becomes possible. The thread of the growth of society depends upon the quality of education that is being imparted. The better the quality, the better people can learn and utilize it to make reforms that lead to research and development.

Education for Children
The importance of taking education as a concept needs to be instilled in children from an early age. Education does not simply mean bookish knowledge or learning things by rote but holds a much deeper meaning. It means opening your minds to learn new things and pursue different options. Opting for higher education provides one with a clearer vision and makes one more receptive to change. It makes a person rational with an ability to think and question. And these are the basis on which reforms are made.

Education also provides opportunities to interact with people from different walks of life. It leads to better understanding and an exposure of how the world lives and thinks. It is our duty to inculcate the importance of education in children. They should be made aware that the list of degrees that tail an individual's name does not mean that one is educated. It holds a much wider perspective. Education means to go beyond the degrees and continue to achieve by acquiring knowledge. In the real sense, education means to evolve from being an individual to a human being, capable of not merely 'surviving' but living life.

The importance of education goes beyond the concept of being literate. It goes much deeper, in denoting a way of life and thinking. Education today has become synonymous (rightly so) with being a well-informed, thinking person.