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Learn
for life Words of wisdom by great people linger in our society, which state that education is the only path towards a secure life. Yet, what does education mean? Although some have grasped the core truth about education, while on the way to their masters or PhDs, others may never know. But our generation squeezed into this examination mania hone in on what ‘education’ means… PJ (21) says, “When we focus on education, most of the time, it reflects formal high school and university education. In our education system, the teacher has to give all the material necessary for the class, which focuses on what may come in the examination; this creates a dependent mindset. We study for examinations, which will be soon forgotten, and are thus left with no lessons in life.” “Education is not limited to formal education. It’s a vast topic, which never ends until death. Our education system must help the student to gain competencies. The students must not take for granted that the teacher is always right, but must question the teacher whenever they are in doubt. Unfortunately, in our society if a student argues with a teacher, it is considered to be disrespectful,” he adds. “The object of a good education is to excel in the three dimensions of life – the academic, professional and personal spheres. The academic is the formal education we pursue, that is the O/Level and A/Level examinations and university level education. Professional education is what you gain via your job and related areas. Interpersonal skills needed to tackle the issues related to personal goals are the ones we call the personal level of education. This equips the individual to face his or her future,” says Dr. Asoka N. Jinadasa, Senior PR Consultant of Rowland PR. Says Dr. Jinadasa, “When we consider academic education, you will notice that what was pursued a long time ago is valid no more. Academic education changes according to the demands of professional life. For example, those days there was a demand for book keepers, but with the use of computers and new technology, that post became redundant when the computer replaced the workload effectively. And the world no longer needed the people who worked in the field of book keeping.” The future we see today is not what we saw earlier. The future today is very uncertain, volatile and fearlessly competitive. A good example is the IT field. The things you learn in high school or in university about IT will be of no use unless you update your knowledge with the changes that take place in the field. It’s the same with other fields. Everything you know today is not valid tomorrow. If you are slow, you’ll never go far and you’ll be stuck in one place without any development. Savithri (22) says, “Education should not be just theories we study in the formal education system, it should be practical as well. If we fail formal examinations, we should not be discouraged and think that we are losers. If you are not good in something, then look for something else. Today, more doors are open to the world of education than before. Education doesn’t rest in one way; it’s a mix of opportunities.” Studying for her A/Level examination, Dinithi (18) says that we must not limit education only to the formal curriculum, but must look beyond education itself. “Although we are compelled to study for O/Level and A/Level examinations, and are forced to pass them, if we are faced with some kind of crisis, all these things we learnt to pass examinations wouldn’t help us. Unfortunately, parents, teachers and the education system in our society, force children to pass examinations, without approaching education as a meeting of knowledge and experience.” Ravi (21) says, “People have to do what they feel comfortable doing, and learn lessons from the mistakes they make. This is education. What we learn in school is just a fraction of the ocean of education. Many parents and teachers are ambitious to see their children excel in the formal education system. As a result, we are taught to think that education is all about schools, tuition and studies. We must try to narrow this gap of viewing education with limited sight.” While education is all about learning, says Dr. Jinadasa, it’s broader than the strict limitation we name it during and after school, and the university period. Every little lesson you learn in life, whether it’s about learning to do something very simple or learning to accept people as they are, is education. At the same time, formal education must not be excluded, and learning without going to school cannot be considered a better option. Madhu (21), who is currently studying abroad says, “Education is about knowledge, and applying the knowledge you have gathered through your experience and the experiences of others. It’s an art of knowing what to do and what not to do. It’s true that formal education is necessary to face the world, but with formal education, one must include extra-curricular activities, which will give the opportunity to mix and mingle with others, so that you know how to handle people. When you are studying abroad, the first important thing you have to handle before all those lectures and studies is how to handle people.” Formal education is not bad. It’s needed in order to discipline us to focus. It’s just a matter of adjusting life with parallel activities, in order to develop parallel skills. Always strive to balance your life with other activities, which normally do not integrate into your subjects, says Dr. Jinadasa. Thus, education should give us the stability to stand firm in the years ahead, which is something you really cannot foresee. It’s a preparation for life, when it unfolds with challenges and rapid changes. To survive, the learning rate should be fast. It doesn’t mean that you should increase the speed of life, with no rest or leisure. It means that you should keep track of the learning going on. This is education.
Discipline:
Creativity:
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