Education & Today’s Reality

By Benzir Shaon

 

Today, education has become a basic need. It is a thing that everyone wants to get it. From a common view point it can be said, “Yes, education is now available for all walks of life.” But the question is we couldn’t ensure the real education for people.

 

`Education’ – has been defined in many ways by many great persons. Promoth Chowdhury has said, “He is the real educated person who has learnt by himself.” In another place it has been said, “It’s not a real education which doesn’t empower a person to distinguish between right and wrong.” So from the dialogues, we find that education is a power that makes a person enlightened. Education enlightens one’s mind. Education raises one’s humanity. People can learn from studying, watching, hearing others words. Education, knowledge can be gathered from anywhere. Rabindranath has said, “The whole world is my school, I am the student of all.” So, the thing is that, one should be eager to learn. By this way a person can educate himself.

 

If we to try to find the meaning of education from common view point, we will find that, education is nothing but a good collection of beautiful certificates. In pour society we try to weigh a person’s education by his weight of certificates, no matter if he is educated with real education or not. We learn just from our institutions. We don’t even try to learn from life! That is the `Education for blind imitation’. We study, we read only to tell a person, “I am an educated one!”; “I want to get a job just for earning money.” The another word is said, “Education for enlightenment.” That means, the education teaches a person to think politely, tells how to see, how to speak, how to think. It shows a better meaning of life to discover the true beauty and power of life.

 

The result of education for blind imitation is very dangerous. Today we can see a master degree holder person doesn’t know how to write an application, how to write a draft! Educated (!) people are finding jobs but cannot engage themselves to self employment! Educated people are engaged themselves with socially bad works. They talk roughly, education doesn’t work for them!

 

In ancient age people used to go to teacher’s house to learn. They went there not to get a good job, they went there to get the light of education! That scene is really rare today.

 

To change the situation, we should take some necessary steps now at once. The first thing we need to do is to change the mentality of common people. We can make publicity for it. Another thing is that, our institutions should hire good teachers, not good degree holders; because a good degree holder may not be a good teacher. Other thing is, institutions should provide good salary for teachers that would attract good teachers; because people don’t want to go for teaching with a lower salary. Finally, we should develop the relation between teachers and students. And for that teachers should approach first.

 

Once upon a time people came to school to show the fashion, chatting. People feared from teachers. Hopefully, the situation is changing, though in a slower rate. We hope for a better tomorrow where we will get real educated people.

 

 

Mark: 8.5/10

 

Mohakhali, Dhaka

Date: 20-10-05

 

Written in 2^nd Mid term examination of the course Composition and Communication Skills (ENG 102), East-West University , Dhaka