2016 International Essay Contest for Young People

Content Page:

1) Category: Youth

2) Essay Title: Education: Man's universal culture

3) Name: Rohan Chandrashekar

4) Address: CG-5, Bay Breeze Apartments, 119 ECR Road, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai - 600041
5) Phone number: +918754548334
6) Email: mukandakrishnadas@gmail.com
7) Nationality: Indian
8) Age (as of June 15,2016): 19 years
9) Gender: Male
10) School name: SASTRA University, Thanjavur
11) Word count: 698 words

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 Education: Man's universal culture

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson

Mandela.

People around the globe are making innumerable inventions and discoveries every

minute, helping solve the most basic to the most complex problems available in this planet, thus

easing man's life. From something as small as nanomaterials to something as large as going to

another planet, man has proved that the impossible can be achieved. All of this with the most

powerful weapon – Education. However, several questions arise when educating a child – What

kind of education must one gain to do all these impossible feats? How does one know whether

they are on the right track? What must one expect from the education he gains? These questions

leave a child pondering and at crucial times, make him chose things that aren’t meant or to the

liking of him.

In the Vedic age, education meant many things to man but most importantly it meant

about becoming a human being. The art of self-control, developing one’s character, generating

social awareness and finally, preserving the knowledge and culture of one’s kind. This was the

crux of any education man received. Educating a person to bring about a social change in society

for he’s a person who can change the world for good.

However, today we are able to see either a school or a university built in every street

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corner. With the increase in youth population, the demand for more institutions has immensely

increased, thereby making it a golden opportunity for business men to make swift and clean

money out of such educational institutions. Every seat has it price. A commerce graduate pays

lesser than an engineering graduate who pays lesser than a doctorate – a price set by the

respective institution’s management. Has education come to such a stage where its only about

the fee structure of institutions and the capacity of the student to pay them or not? Such must not

be the case. Nations must bring standardized educational fee’s (separate for primary, secondary

and higher education) and must pass laws enforcing them on all educational institutions in the

state. This fee must be based on the per capita income of the whole nation thereby making it

possible for everyone in the nation to get their education, ensuring perfect autonomy. If not fee’s,

then it must be based on a child’s talent as a wolf is rare in a flock of common sheep.

“You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a

generation.” - Brigham Young. Women are the key stake holders in imparting knowledge to

upcoming generations. A child first starts to learn from it mother, then from mother nature and

followed by others. So the education of a girl child is very much crucial and essential, later

comes education from the child’s surroundings. Girls must be encouraged to study and taught to

live independently and not be dependent on the men of the house.

The kind of education one must receive must imbibe a sense of inquiry and discovery

rather than just being book worms. There must be a deep integration of theory and practice. How

will a man know how to drill a hole in a wall unless he really drills one or how will he know how

current is produced when a conductor is moved in a magnetic field? There must be a perfect

blend of both theoretical analysis and practical applications of what one studies. Apart from all

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this, the students must be culturally diverse. Education must include not only science and

mathematics but also arts, history, music and many such subjects which will enable a person to

explore everything and at the same time, allow him to choose what he likes and let him pursue it

as his career.

Therefore, education must make such an impact so that it exists to make significant contributions

towards the building of a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. It’s impact on society is

through the changes in values and action that thinking, autonomous individuals are capable of.

Thus, an ideal education is one which inculcates knowledge and culture in man, allowing self

and global sustenance.

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