Iju Shakya

Education stands as a victim of time. Today, it is interpreted differently by people of different motives. As a result, education, which was once considered a privilege, is now understood as a big burden and people educate themselves not to acquire knowledge as such but only for the sake of flaunting a degree.

So much so that the word education is invariably compared with earning ability these days. But education serves a much bigger purpose than merely guaranteeing a decent means of living. We often see a highly-educated person smoking, a well-educated locality littering all about the area, ‘educated’ youth taking drugs and alcohol. It is not that they don’t know the consequences of their action; they choose to ignore them.

In my view, the ability to make tough choices is what separates the educated from the uneducated. An educated person is expected to behave as one. But, oftentimes, people do not implement in real life what they learn during the course of their education. The fruits of education are taken for granted and a change to widen one’s horizons lost. Education, no doubt, increases the prospects of landing a good job. But most importantly, education should teach us how to be happy and wise in life.

Education marks the borderline between light and darkness. But today, people have become slaves of money. People send their children to good schools not to educate them, but to make them capable of making money. What they fail to grasp is that education divorced from knowledge is as good as a dried-up river.

They forget that money is temporary while knowledge is permanent. Especially what we observe in our country is that students study for just for the sake of passing exams. And so when the exams are over, it seems as if a huge load has been lifted from their shoulders. But genuine students study ‘to learn’. Though it might not be apparent at first glance, there is a huge difference between learning and clearing exams. Thus, only if (and when) the youth get complete education will they be able to lead the country on the right path.

Total education entails a chance to expand our narrow horizons, seek new opportunities and of course, lest you forget, ‘also’ get that perfect job.