Education must be transformative
By Faizan Bashir
Education is not about merely learning facts, it is more than this. In essence, education must be transformative. But, alas, education is neither transformative nor does it inculcate moral and ethical values, especially in the context of Kashmir.
It’s very much unfortunate that we are oblivious of both Islam and modern education.
I will narrate some factual incidents that might illustrate the aforementioned statement.
Few months ago, I ran into a family event that underscored my belief in the value of real education; not merely its obverse.
There was a continuous fight among five sisters and a brother. Despite being well educated, they were divided into two groups, always jeering at one another. The elder sister and a brother were on one side and the other four sisters on the other. The fight was going as to the divvy up of property (home) that belonged to their father.
One day, the fight among them reached up to such a level that they were getting names and abuses from the young and the old in society. Each sister fell upon the other; even their father got mauled in what amounted to a real fight. Ultimately the elder sister and the brother emerged victorious and the rest had to depart forever despite the fact they had contributed much to the property (home).
Burying the hatchet, when we fall into such situations, which have pernicious repercussions, is not possible without being civilized and well-disciplined. It is only a well-developed education system that can bestow upon us such qualities.
We have often seen people with certificates and degrees, having a lot of ignorance, adding fuel to the fire, sneering or jeering at others, backbiting and so on and so forth. A well-educated person will think before they heap and will not stoop to low levels.
Many teachers and headmasters of either government or private schools are toiling hard to not only educate children but to grow them up or make them mature. However, some (masters) out of them are buzzing around or even loitering in the schools and don’t give full focus upon children. I humbly request them to work more and more so that they will find a way to prepare better human beings who know how to act when faced with problematic or complex situations.
Everything is possible. The only requirement is that of continuous hard work to transform ourselves into civilized people through prudent education.
The writer is a student and can be reached at [email protected]
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