open mind

  The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” Dr. Martin Luther King Pondering the mandate of education is a popular sport, with pundits forwarding diverse views, but most agree on the basics: the role of education is to prepare the student for participation in society by presenting essential information, and guiding expertise in foundational skills.     The thing is, society is constantly evolving. Looking through the lens of technological progress, we’ve witnessed some massive changes from the norms of the last century. In a few decades, we’ve gone from assembly line factory jobs and vacuum tube powered, room-sized computers, to the lightning fast interactivity of the digital world that is transforming every sector, including schools. Dealing with the differences created by the march of progress is nothing new. 3000 years ago, Heraclitus quipped that ‘The only thing that is constant is change’, which serves t...

  Why is education important and how does it affect one’s future? Oct 13, 2021 The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes education as a legal right of every child. Yet education remains a privilege to many. UNESCO data shows that 258 million children and youth were out of school for the school year ending in 2018. Of that total, more than 129 million were girls and 58 million were of primary school age.    Among those fortunate to have access to education, on the other hand, more than 617 million children and adolescents do not have minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. 1. What is education? Education is the process where an individual acquires or imparts basic knowledge to another. It is also where a person: develops skills essential to daily living, learns social norms, develops judgment and reasoning, and learns how to discern right from wrong. The ultimate goal of education is to help an individual navigate life and c...