Education: needs and benefits

Random thoughts

Nobody can deny the necessity of a good education and its benefits. Before Partition, only a small percentage of Muslims were educated while the majority of Hindus were well educated. Immediately after Partition, Quaid-e-Azam emphasised the need of education in these words:

“Education does not merely mean academic education. You have to build the character of our future generations, which means highest sense of honour, integrity and selfless service to the nation and a sense of responsibility.” He also said: “There is an immediate and urgent need for training our people in scientific and technical education in order to build up our future economic life …. do not forget that we have to compete with the world which is moving very fast in this direction.”

Our Holy Prophet (pbuh), advised Muslims in these words: “Seek knowledge even if you have to go all the way to China.” Gen Hakim Arshad Qureshi, former commander of the SSG pointed out: “A nation that does not honour its intelligentsia is not likely to find new ones in future. This is a lesson from history; it is surely doomed forever.”

The famous British/American educationist and philosopher, Prof Alfred North Whitehead, emphasised the importance of education, science and technology in these words: “In the conditions of modern life, the rule is absolute: the race which does not value trained intelligence is doomed. Not all your heroism, not all your social charm, not all your wit, not all your victories on land or at sea, can move back the finger of fate. Today we maintain ourselves,   tomorrow      science will have moved over yet one more step and there will be no appeal from the judgement which will be pronounced on the uneducated.”

The famous scientist and Nobel Laureate, Prof Albert Einstein, expressed the importance of education in these words: “No amount of experience will turn a person of mediocre talent into a genius.” “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, more violent. It takes the touch of a genius and a lot of courage to move into the opposite direction.”

And the famous British scientist/educationist, Thomas Huxley, said: “Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. It is the first lesson that ought to be learnt and however early a man’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.”

Another Western philosopher, Peter Brougham, points out the importance of education in these words: “Education makes a people easy to lead, difficult to drive, easy to govern but impossible to enslave.” John Locke beautifully explains the process of learning in these words: “Learning (education) is a process that never ends.”

Our own famous Nobel Laureate, Prof A Salam, had this to say: “For 500 years, from 700 to 1200 AD, Islam led the world in power, order and extent of government, in refinement of manners, in standard of living, in literature, in scholarship, in science, in medicine, in justice and in philosophy.”

Hazrat Ali pointed out that: “The number of innumerable fools have made the learned scarce.” He also said: “There are many educated people who have ruined their future on account of their ignorance of religion. Their knowledge did not prove of any avail to them.”

Harvard President, Derek Bok, once said: “If you think that education is expensive, try ignorance.” He further pointedly said: “If you want to destroy a university, hire the most brilliant faculty.” The Rector of Imperial College, London pointed out the secret of development as: “The progress and prosperity of a nation is the reflection of the achievements of its engineering profession.”

An African proverb says: “If you educate a man, you educate a person, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family.” Victor Hugo, the famous philosopher, said: “He who opens a school, closes a prison.” US President Thomas Jefferson said: “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Another US President, Calvin Coolidge, said: “The world is full of intellectual derelicts.”

Our Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead.” Chinese philosopher Kuan Chung said: “When you sow a seed once, you reap a single harvest. But when you educate the people, you will reap a hundred harvests.” According to Shaikh Saadi, the education (and knowledge) a child receives in the first few years is the most important education of its life. According to World Bank reports, a good primary education has many positive influences on the upbringing of children. It helps them to learn better in their future lives.

Here are some divine edicts about education and knowledge. “Those truly fear Allah among His servants who have knowledge.” (Surah Fatir). “Are those equal who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endowed with understanding that receive admonition.” (Surah Zumar) “Allah will raise up to suitable ranks those who believe and who have been granted knowledge.” (Surah Mujadalah) “Can the blind be held equal to the seeing? Will you then consider not?” (Surah Al-Anaam) “Allah grants wisdom to whom he pleases and he to whom wisdom is granted receives indeed a benefit overflowing.” (Surah Baqarah) “We explain the Signs in detail for those who understand.” (Surah A’raaf)

It should be emphasised here that illiteracy is no substitute for education. Bad education is no substitute for good education. School education is no substitute for higher education. Mediocre institutional education and training is no substitute for higher professional education. But above all, no education or training is a substitute for wisdom and you don’t learn or acquire wisdom. It is a God-given blessing and gift.

Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com