THE IDEA OF EDUCATION

The primary purpose of education is knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and knowledge advancement. Knowledge is a complete waste if not applied; that’s where wisdom comes in. The bible talking about the poor man that can save the city but is despised. Valuable knowledge is secured through creativity and application. Education is expected to aid thinking, creativity and innovation. The mechanical drills, competition for grades and corporal punishment should be eliminated. The intellectual goal of education is mind development for complete living, therefore, creativity should be incorporated in teaching.

The educated are not those in school nor the graduates of schools but those who are enrolled in the Lifelong Learning University with no plans of graduating. I took a decision earlier this year to learn anything, anyhow, anywhere and anytime so I can become an autodidact and polymath. Being an economist, I recently read a Medical encyclopaedia and learnt how to perform a CPR.

The idea of education is being a jack of all trades and a master of few, that’s where usefulness oozes from. Lifelong learning is the way, taking a cue from John D. Rockefeller who dropped out at Nursery two, Mark Zuckerberg, Albert Einstein, Ben Carson, Michael Jordan and many others.

The perfect idea of education as presented by Socrates is that;

“The educated are those who control circumstances instead of being mastered by them, those who meet all occasions manfully and act in accordance with intelligent thinking those who are honourable in all their dealings, those who treat good-naturedly persons and things that are disagreeable, those who hold their pleasures under control and are not overcome by misfortunes and finally, those who are not spoiled by success.”

Our best resource in the 21st century is to cultivate our singular abilities of imagination, creativity and innovation. Education is the major key to the future. Educational reform is not enough, there is need for a transformation!