Can you imagine a world without education? Probably the first thought that we get after hearing such a question is: No! A world without education is like a bird without wings. Mankind has made significant developments over the years, from making weapons out of stones to inventing incredible technologies we have come a long way. Food clothing and shelter have always been considered as the basic needs of a human being but what is also essential to be a good human being and create a better society is- Education. But unfortunately, many people especially children from around the world are still deprived of basic education.
According to the report published by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), 32 million Indian children (aged 6-13 years) have never attended any school and the majority of them belong to the socially disadvantaged class.
The word Education carries a broader meaning in itself; it is not only about gaining knowledge of a particular subject but much more than that. Education is an important tool for every child as it enables them to know about their rights and duties. It expands the vision and helps them to develop a perspective of everything around the world.
We all are aware of the importance of education, to build a better society and world education is considered as an important aspect. However, a nation’s development depends a lot on its citizens and especially children. Children are the pillar of the nation, as said by our former Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru- “Children are the nation’s future and tomorrow’s citizen”. And therefore, it is very important to prepare them well for future challenges. Education is the basic right of every child and it should be the duty of every parent to ensure that their child is getting proper education. The primary objective of education is to bring knowledge and awareness among the children and it should be used as a tool for the self-development and overall development of the child i.e. social, cultural, cognitive, emotional and physical development.
Education is the fundamental right of each and every child and therefore, it should be accessible to every child without any barriers. Education helps to develop the thought process and gain worldwide information. Not only that, but education also teaches one to respect others and to treat everyone in a good way. It has the power to improve the personality of a human being by making him brave, confident and smart. Besides, education contributes to a secure future and to live a wealthy and prosperous life one must get educated.
Basic and quality education begins from home and this is the first step of making the society and world a better place by inculcating good knowledge and values in the child. In the initial stage, a child learns a lot of things from their parents. Later on, they should be enrolled in a good primary school where they can acquire more knowledge and education. We live in a fast-paced competitive world and to be able to survive in this competitive world, education is an essential weapon. The government has also made various schemes for underprivileged children and free education is one of them. Different awareness campaigns are also being organised from time to time to make people aware of the importance of education, as a country’s progress totally depends on its citizens.
Providing education to the children of every section of society is extremely important because education will help the child to differentiate between the right and the wrong. It will allow them to know about their basic rights and duties towards self, family and, society. Moreover, education will help them to become self-independent and build a positive reputation in the society. We often believe that education is only about providing bookish knowledge to the children but the area is too vast. It is more than acquiring knowledge of a certain subject. Education helps to build opinions of our own and have different viewpoints of things in life. An educated person is truly a gem for the society as they can further transfer their knowledge to the needy ones.
Education can act as a strong medium to transform a child’s life by helping them overcome poverty which can ultimately lead to a healthy and better life. Children are the backbone of any country and thus no child should be deprived of basic education.
(The author is the founder of Sunaayy Foundation.)