SENSITIZATION VISIT TO GDSS MALUM: ORGANIZED BY NATIONAL EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT AGENCY (NEMA) CDS GROUP, ARDO KOLA LGA OF TARABA STATE.

27th January 2022

TITELE OF THE PAPER: THE POWER OF EDUCATION.

Content:

 Protocol modalities
 Introduction
 Conceptualization of the terms
 Benefits of Education
 The crux of the paper
 Summary/conclusion

NEMA! We truly stand for the sake of the distressed.

 Good morning all and sundry. All protocols are duly observed and acknowledge.
 Today, being Thursday the 27th of January 2022, I stand before you to present a paper titled: “the
power of education”.
 As a way of introduction, permit me to briefly go into history and to tie the subject of the
paper to the International day of Education. January 24th, is a day set aside by the
UNESCO (which was adopted on 3rd December 2018_during the UN General Assembly
Resolution 73/25) to celebrate the role of Education for peace and development.
 The theme of this year’s celebration is “Changing the course, Transforming Education”;
which aims to showcase the most important transformations that have to be nurtured to
realize everyone’s fundamental right to education and build a more sustainable, inclusive
and peaceful future.
 The conceptualization of the Terms
The paper centred on two words power and education
(a) Power: according to the Merriam-webster: “power, is the possession of control, authority or
influence over others”.
(b) Education: Etymologically, the word education derived from the Latin words: “educare”,
“educere” and “educatum” where:
-educare: means “to nourish, to bring up”
-educere: means “to lead forth, to draw out”
-educatum: which itself composed of two terms: “E” and “Duco”, where “E” implies:
“inward to outward movement” and “Duco”: developing or progressing.
Thus, Education is the process of facilitating learning, knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and
habits of group of people transferred to other people through, storytelling, discussion,
teaching, training or research.
The concept of Education as viewed by some Indian Educationists:
-Rigved: “education is something which makes man self reliant and selfless”.
 -Upanishad: “education is for Liberation”.
-The Activist and Revolutionist, Mahatma Gandhi: “By education, I mean an all-round
drawing out of the best in the child and man body, mind and spirit”
 The power of Education
According to World Bank: “Education is a powerful driver of development and one of the
strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace and
stability.
The CEO of Save the Children International_Helle Thorning Schmidt also says: “Education is
the most empowering force in the world. It creates knowledge, builds confidence and breaks
down barriers to opportunity”. She went ahead to say: “for children, it is their key to open the
door to a better life”.
 Benefits of Education
Education is one of the most important investments a country can make for her future. Thus, its
benefits need not to be over emphasized.
According to GPE: “Education is a powerful agent of change, and improves health and
livelihoods, contributes to social stability and drives long term economic growth”
 The Crux of the Paper
Education equals better lives. Access to decent work, improved health and life outcomes, and the
dignity that comes from the ability to know and stand up for your human rights.
 Rhetoric!
The power of education can only be felt when: “inclusive and equitable quality education is
ensured”. But, do we have these in our societies?!
To attend to this, countries need to take to take into cognizance the following four education
transformations:
1. Performance: putting results front and centre. Successful education systems must invest in
what works.
2. Innovation: developing new and creative approaches. Education systems must innovate rather
than just replicate.
3. Inclusion: we must reach every child. The poor, the discriminated, the girl child and those
facing multiple disadvantages.
4. Finance: we need to mobilize more money and ensure that we spend it wisely.
It will interest you to know that, in developing countries, $1invested in additional year of
schooling gives back $10 back in economic benefits.
 Summary/Conclusion
Permit me to summarize by saying: without didacticism of knowledge, there wouldn’t be
Education; without which man losses the power to dictate and becomes a mere mammal.
Also, the popular educationist Maria Montessori says, and I quote: “we cannot create observers
by saying ‘observe’, but by giving them the power and the means for this observation and these
means are procured through education of the senses”.
And remember readers are leaders!

Thank you for Listening and God bless.

I remain Yusuf Abdulkarim Abdullahi

Truly standing for the sake of the distressed.