WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION?

By VICTORIA ADEUSI

"A man's mind, stretched by new ideas, may never return to its original dimensions” - Oliver

Wendell.

Education is a concept that has been misunderstood in our world today. Some go to school for the benefit of being a partaker of education, and some go because they are obligated to do so. These are valid reasons for attending school, but that's not all that education has to offer.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, Education is the process of teaching, training, and learning to improve knowledge and develop skills, especially in schools or colleges. The simplicity of this definition gives us an insight into what we have come to obtain in school. There are three significant points in this definition:

A process of teaching, travel, and learning. To be educated is to have learned something. It means you have passed through training, and it also means you have been taught. That's why sitting in the lecture room is a process to all of these, but the question is, are you sitting just for its pleasure, or are you sitting to be taught, trained, and learned?

The second insight it gives is where you receive this training, teaching, and learning: the school. School here is not limited to the University of Ibadan or any other University, but anywhere you are receiving training, learning, and teaching. There are no restrictions where education is concerned.

The third insight is what you acquire through training, learning, and teaching to improve knowledge and skills. This is the essence of education: to become better and receive a positive change in knowledge and skills. "Your degree is just a piece of paper; your education is seen in your behavior." You improve your knowledge before you can experience that improvement, and that's what education does for you.

Not everything you think will be helpful to you in the future, and that's okay. But you still need to pay attention and pick out the essential details. The things you are taught and the training you pass through shape you for the future. Therefore, it is essential for you as a student not to see education as something you are obliged to do alone but also as a medium of building, equipping, and empowering for the future. When the thought of learning something new comes to your mind, you will be psyched to pass through the process when you understand that the only way to get your knowledge enriched is through education.