The importance of education

Education leads to expanding our area of perception about things and events around us. It should help us to develop a logical and rational thought process, encouraging an inquiring and broad minded attitude and judgement in all our social and work related interactions. Education leads to enlightened decisions and beliefs that are based on our day to day interactions, that is very much the part of daily life. Living rationally is also often an unconscious education process of which we may not be aware of.
Thus the community progresses and is enlightened leading up to the nation and the country and finally an interlinking global community, in spite of racial, religious and other externally visible differences in dress, dialect and other physical features. Importantly, education broadens our awareness, and helps us accept lifestyle and environmental differences.
 Does our local education system encourage in developing such an open and rational mental development? I am afraid, no. Our teacher-led system is based on mostly a unidirectional flow of words and ideas that discourages questions and inquisitive enquiries from the taught. This could be a norm, but only limited to primary levels of literacy and language and number recognition level. Thereafter, education has to be led through a two way traffic that exchanges thoughts and ideas and develops knowledge based on positive direct interactions between the teacher and the taught. Not only in the classroom, but throughout the day-- where the teacher and the students can interact on any matter in their every day life, both in school and at home.
Our home and school life needs to be complimentary, and the growing child should be encouraged to interact with his or her elders. In our society this is more or less limited to the mother who mostly interacts with the child. The child is discouraged to interact with fathers and other elders in the household. This needs to be turned around, and two way interactions should be precipitated by all household elders and siblings which encourages the child to look, listen and learn. All should encourage and nurture the children in any household, and the child's curiosities should be satisfied as far as possible. Do we do this? Possibly not, except for some indulgent grandparents, if any.
Readers can try and recall his/her childhood. By and large some favourite elderly persons will come to mind, usually linked with pleasant memories. In this writer's case his maternal uncle, an engineer, was in effect his popular guide on all matters like cameras, watches, pens spectacles, light bulbs and fans, to name a few. The end result was that I was determined from early childhood to become an engineer and became just that despite all objections from many well meaning elders who were against this career selection. Why? My engineer uncle gave me hands on experiences with cameras, radios and fans! Believe me, this writer knew how an electromagnet works, while no more than around ten years old or so!
All round development can best be encouraged to children by letting them become ' boy scouts' or 'girl-guide' in their school days. The 'scout master' or the 'guide teacher' facilitates individual beliefs and capabilities creating awareness on matters related to normal living experiences, for example first aid. I feel that today this interesting school level movement is dying out, and not much is seen or heard about their activities.
This has been taken over by the present 'political youth groups' which has become tools for politics related to 'civil unrest' and other similar useless and negative activities. That is the usual political norm in Bangladesh today. Young children are encouraged to throw stones, damaging cars and other vehicles to enforce 'strikes and shutdowns' for political parties. This is a sad and unpalatable way of destroying our youths. But does any one care, or dare to say anything about it? Today the nation is going down this undesired and totally distasteful violence-centric political process, with no seemingly end to it.
A special and important issue relates to the education of 'disadvantaged' children. Children who are challenged psychologically, physically and mentally tend to be generally aloof, and more mother-centric than others. This is a highly specialised area, and this writer has no knowledge on the matter about the whole gamut of disadvantaged children. This is a specialised area that needs more attention by the government and the authorities concerned about it. All that can be logically stated is that it needs more resources in terms of men, money and materials than what is available now.
In conclusion I would like to quote just three lines from the 'Holy Quran'. In Sura 'Iqra or Al-Alaq' it is stated: "Iqta Bismi Rubbukallazi Khalaq" then follows "Allazi Allama Bil Qalam" and next comes "Alllamal Insana malam Yalum". Translated to the best of my limited knowledge in Arabic, Almighty says: "Read in the name of thy Lord who created", then comes: "He who taught the use of pen", and finally "Taught mankind that which he knew not". For the Muslims, and for humans of other religions also, therefore education is not only a moral bur a religious duty, enshrined in our faith! I am sure, no one can dispute with the wisdom of the above lines quoted from the 'Holy Quran'. Acquiring knowledge and education is not only rational, but a religious duty to which we are morally bound.
The writer is an engineer. This write up was inspired from points noted during a 'talk' given by Mr. Md. Fazlul Haque at a Rotary meeting.