[dropcap]M[/dropcap]an is superior to all other living beings under the sky due to his wisdom. But there is no denying that mere uncultivated reason does not help man much. Without education, he remains a little above the level of wild animals. Man realizes himself when his mental abilities are properly trained and polished. It is here that education steps in. The difference between an educated and an uneducated man is simple huge. The former is like an angel, while the latter a mere beast in the guise of man.
“Only the educated are free.” Epictetus, Discourses
[the_ad id=”17141″]The main aim of education is to develop all the faculties of man, namely physical, mental and spiritual. The body is virtually strengthened, the mind sharpened and spirit chastened. We can say that the very purpose of education is the all-round development of a man. It verily transforms a man into a full, whole and integrated entity. Thus, the objectives to be achieved through education and training are great in number and comprehensive. Education helps in achieving and developing skills, abilities, insights and scientific temper. Apart from literary appeal of education, there are so many other useful aspects as well and they are also very important.
“The direction in which education starts, a man will determine his future life.” Plato, The Republic
Education aims at developing and bringing out the best of a students inner personality without neglecting the outer and material aspects. Education also makes its possessors capable of standing on their own feet and to earn their living in a respectful manner. An educated person is always supposed to face the challenges of life very bravely and successfully. If some person fails in making a meaningful contribution to the society and country, he or she, in no way can be called properly educated .
The object of education is to strike a proper balance between inner and outer emotional and practical aspects of ones personality and life. If education is missing, it will result in an unbalanced development of a personality. It does help in flowering of both the physical and spiritual potentialities. All round development means the growth and development of mind, spirit and body.
“Character is like a glass-even a little crack shows.” Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy
All these are integral aspects of one personality and none of these aspects should be neglected. Man is emotional as well as rational and both these aspects should be properly developed. Man is neither a thinking machine nor a heap of emotions. If one is guided simply by emotions, ones vision is bound to be distorted. [the_ad id=”17142″]In the Same way, if one goes by reason alone then one would be a mere thinking robot.
“Pure logic is the ruin of the spirit.” Tagore Stray Bids
The main purpose of education is to produce useful, intelligent, patriotic, emotionally integrated, morally strong, cultured and healthy young men and women. In short, the aim and objective of education should be proper integration and harmony between thinking and doing. Education must produce people properly adjusted with the rhythm of life. This cannot be achieved without the widespread quality education in the country.
One of the basic aim of education is to develop character of the individual without fail. In today’s world, character is a highly comprehensive term. It means not only behavior of an individual but also moral strength, mental presence, self-discipline, fortitude and reputation, etc. Most of our modern problems have their origin in our lack of strong moral character. We can say that the modern age has been suffering from the crisis of character. If the character of the public is improved, many of the social maladies can be overcome within no time.
What makes a man, really a man in the true sense of the term, is his character. without character a man is nothing but a beast without any values and ethical sense. According to a poet,
“Sow a habit, and you reap a character, Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”
Thus, it is proved that the men of character are the men of destiny. Only those with strong moral character have the potential to control and guide the destinies of their nations. They can also change the secnario of worlds politics.
The Quaid-i-Azam was such a man of character and so also a man of destiny. So were Allama Iqabal and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. The aim of our education should be to make our students follow the footsteps of these men of strong character and destiny.
Work and training should form an integral part of education. It should aim at producing more and more artisans, craftsmen, doctors, engineers, technicians, teachers and other such useful professionals. Such people can set up their own workshops, factories, mills, dispensaries and schools etc. So for the welfare of the people at large, education should be work and employment oriented. Education should have the capability to remove unemployment from society by producing skilled, talented and well-trained personnel and professionals. One of the main purpose of education should be to equip the people with means to face the problem of unemployment.
“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” Francis Bacon
Education should also aim at achieving national integration and a strong sense of unity and oneness among the people of the country. In a country such as Pakistan, with such extreme diversity, it becomes all the more vital. Every educated man and woman in Pakistan should be imbued with the sense of pride and oneness of culture and heritage that always helped us in times of crisis and catastrophe as a nation. Whether it is Indian aggression or any other crisis, the whole nation rose like one to face it successfully.[the_ad id=”17150″]
The developed and advanced countries like Japan, Canada, France, Germany and America, etc. are so because they have been investing heavily in education for the last many years. This clearly shows that education is an essential investment and input to realize the desired output. The long term returns and benefits of investment in education have been quite marellous. This is quite evident from the great growth and development of above-named countries.
“The roots of education are sometimes bitter, but the fruits are sweet.” Ben Johnson
Briefly, education enlightens and broadens a person outlook. It proves helpful for the growth of democracy and democratic institutions in the country. It creates and develops civic sense in the people. It gives birth to tolerance and mutual accommodation. Good moral character, scientific temper, self dependence, patriotism, social and environmental awareness, singleness of purpose, fortitude and sense of human values, like compassion, truth, pleasure, non-violence and charity are some of the sure fruits of education.