EDUCATION, A PUBLIC GOOD?

Martin Nketsiah

Education is the process of gaining knowledge, skills through training and experience. Education is a teaching and learning process, whether in a structure such as schools, church, mosques or ethics like table etiquettes. It is an important sector in the lives of individuals, the government and the world at large. It is an enlightening experience, meaning people are able to discover new ideas. Education helps us to have a systematic approach to life through training, teaching, storytelling, and research. There is a more positive approach to every aspect of our life, helping us identify right and wrong. Classified into formal or informal because of its vast methods makes education progressively dynamic. It is widely seen as the key to success in all aspects of life. Our lives are stagnant without education, technology keeps advancing with new ideas coming up. Mysteries of criminal acts are unraveled easily. Professionals in various fields such as doctors, teachers, surgeons, engineers, lawyers, nurses just to name a few are always integrated into the system as a result of education. It is significant in a government’s economy.

In my view education is for the public good because of its glaring effects. It is for the public since the population keeps increasing sporadically. The only arguments people would have against education being a public good is because of its cost, execution and employment issues. Using my country Ghana as a case study, the cost of quality education is very high, even though there are more public schools than private ones. This has resulted in the perception that education is for a particular level of people, the financially strong ones for that matter.? How education is run also brings doubt, theories are done in more practical courses, lack of facilities and infrastructure to ensure smooth education makes people think education can only be complete in developed countries. Education has several methods and structures to ensure it is well executed. Employment issues especially put people in a position to be certain that education is not a public good. People now have to attain the highest level of education to get employed in preferred companies, and as stated a lot of coinage goes into ensuring that one reaches a higher level of education. In my country once again high school scholars are not employable and this raises eye brows on if education is a public good.

?Education has improved our standards of living, it has enlightened us to know what we want, guiding us to accomplish our set goals with regards to our future ambitions. It is through education that democracy has improved, citizens know their fundamental human rights through the ability to read and interpret laws. Legal actions are carried out instead of violence as a result of education. Education has reduced violence globally to a certain extent, curbing the rate of racism by educating people on reasons why it is insensitive. This is definitely for the majority good since lives and properties will not be lost through violence. In agriculture, education has helped provide opportunities to learn basic agricultural skills and knowledge, it has helped incorporate latest scientific advances and technology into the agriculture sector. Agriculture plays an important role in sustaining the economy of most countries, it is the spine of every economy. So, when people are educated on how to improve their crop production and farming methods it goes a long way to improve the economy.

Education has improved the health sector in many ways, now people are educated on how to stay fit, be on good diet, ensuring healthy life. Better health and lifestyle choices, improved social trust. Typical example is the rise of the covid19 pandemic, through education people were educated on how to wash hands properly, use sanitizers, and others. Through education and research vaccines are discovered to reduce the spread of many diseases. Now training and fitness techniques have been discovered for sportsmen that helps them to keep track of their health and performance levels, also ensuring easy recovery from events. It has made the advancement of technology and help made work easier, people are able to reach a wide audience in seconds. Double standards in sports are eliminated since participating parties are well informed of the rules and trials are organized to ensure everyone is conversant with new developments. In the midst of covid19 pandemic business meetings went on with the help of video conferencing and social media.?

Religious and political knowledge have improved since people are now ready to know more and thus research into religious history, origin and methods. Government is now held accountable since people are abreast with knowledge on every decision made by the government. Seminars are organized to educate political parties and religious bodies on the need to live peacefully with people of different race and religious beliefs.

This indicates beyond reasonable doubts that education is a public good and its effects improve the lives of everyone, the majority benefits of its positive effects, compensate the negatives.? Education is basic to the development of the world at large. It improves productivity, social advancement, income distribution, most importantly the economy. The role of education is to give knowledge to a major group of the people and improve the literacy rate in the world, making the biosphere a better place. Yes, education is a public good.?? ?

Martin Ekow Nketsiah

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Freelance Writer

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Twitter: @Elvanez