Introduction
An American social reformer and writer, Fredrick Douglass once wrote- “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”. Though he wrote these lines in the context of slavery, but it also holds true in relation to education. Education gives strength to the children to become strong adults and be successful in future.
Education is so much important in a child’s life that it marks the foundation of his success later in life and decides on whether he will turn out to become a happy and content adult or an emotionally shattered and depressed individual.
We will one day hand over the control of our nation to our children and if they are not educated well to take up the responsibility, the goals that we have set for development will be remain unaccomplished.
A nation which doesn’t spends much on child education; forever, remains in the grasp of poverty and misery not only suffering today but also destroying its tomorrow. A child is the key to the success of a nation and education is the key to success of a child. It is only when a child succeeds that the nation will.
The purposes of education in a child’s life can be many- learning skills, developing curiosity and creativity, instilling discipline, developing strength and endurance, communicating, building confidence, aspiration, observation, competition and personality development to name only few. If we give our children the opportunity to good education; we are handing them the key to their success and the success of the nation as well.
Nearly 70 Million children across the globe didn’t get the opportunity to go to school, out of which 32 Million are residing in African countries alone. Some of the worst affected are the African nations like- Chad, Central African Republic, Niger, Guinea, Mali, Sudan and Liberia. South Central Asian country Afghanistan also gains a rank in the worst top ten when it comes to child education.
These countries have made little or insufficient efforts to improve the condition of child education in past decades, which is the reason why they are still facing poverty, over population and a damaged economy and are ranked at the bottom of Human Development Index. Moreover, a girl child in the underdeveloped or developing country is less likely to attend the school than a boy.
The countries with laws mandating compulsory education for children, backed by an effective infrastructure have long overcome the shackles of poverty and are steadily developing or have already reached development as per global parameters. Switzerland, Netherlands, Finland, Australia are some of the top rankers in the field of child education.
Switzerland has a law mandating compulsory education for all its own children residents as well as foreigners. India has also made education a fundamental right for children between the age group of 6-14 years through Right To Education Act 2009, and is today among the world’s fastest growing economies.
It is an established fact that the education of children is imperative to the development of a nation and both are related in direct proportion. That is, a poor state of child education reflects a damaged economy and an underdeveloped nation while a good state of child education reflects a progressive and developing nation.
Nations need to spend more on child education if they want to achieve the United Nation’s ‘Goals of Sustainable Development By 2030’. Though, the things are improving but still a lot is needed to be done.
‘The Importance of Education for Children’ is an established fact with many countries around the world spending more on the education of their children mostly in the age group of 5 to 16.
Below provided is a point wise narration of the effects which child education could bring to a child as well as its benefits to a nation and why at all it is as important for a child’s personal development as well as the development of nation as a whole.
13 Points on ‘Importance of Education for Children’
1) Education is the Key to Success
The overall mental and physical development of a child depends on the education that he is given. Childhood is a stage when essential qualities like learning ability, inquisitiveness, curiosity, deciding ability are developed along with emotional, social and moral development. Education is the key to impart all the good qualities in a child, so that he grows up to become a happy, healthy and qualified adult who contributes to the growth of the nation at the same time moving on the path of success.
2) Team Work And Discipline
Education imparts a sense of team work and discipline in children, which is very important for their own growth as well as the growth of nation when they become adults. It is during the childhood education that a child learns how to communicate and work in a team. An educated child understands the benefits of team work; an understanding which he will reflect in his conduct, throughout his life. He also learns the rewards of living a disciplined life and how it could help him achieve his aspirations.
3) Strength and Endurance
Early childhood education develops mental and emotional strength in a child making him / her more prepared to face future challenges of life. An early childhood education under the guidance of teachers and parents will make children more resilient towards difficulties of life and provides strength to fight back. An uneducated and deprived child on the other hand lacks the confidence to overcome challenges of life.
4) Self Esteem
Education installs the feeling of self esteem and pride in young minds. Childhood is an age when children communicate, develop confidence, and compete to earn rewards and earn praises from parents and teachers. Such praises and rewards improve the overall personality of a child and are vital for the development of his/her self esteem. For any child to become a productive adult, it is very important that he or she has a good self esteem.
5) Builds confidence
Education is a continuous and ongoing process of learning, which develops confidence in children. The exposure at school develops many abilities in children and confidence is also one of them. They learn new things, analyze it in their own perspective and raise their doubts, if needed. They also undergo various extracurricular activities like- sports, painting, drawing etc. All such activities collectively develop confidence in children and make them future ready. An uneducated child on the other hand lacks such confidence to take on the challenges of life.
6) Develops Concentration
Education is a constant process of learning and grasping, which ultimately improves the concentration level of a child. Mind is like a machine; it needs to be used to make it efficient. Only a child who goes regularly to school and faces tests has a concentrated mind. A concentrated child is more focused on his needs and goals. He also has a vision of his path to success and can concentrate on it; knowing that he can overcome any obstacle with his education.
7) Social Strength Of The Nation
Child education is crucial for strengthening the social fabric of a nation. A child learns his social skills in the early years of his education. It is the time when children learn to interact with class mates, family, relatives and even strangers also understand their culture and values. They carry the same social values to their adulthood strengthening the nation’s social fabric. A well educated child will lead the nation onto the path of harmony, unity and progress.
8) Economical Growth Of The Nation
Children are the future of a nation and the forbearers of its economy. No nation can achieve economical growth if its children remain uneducated. Nations need to educate their children so that they become, professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs of tomorrow; contributing productively to the nation’s economy. The economical growth we set to achieve will remain a goal unless every child on the planet goes to school.
9) Improved Health And Hygiene
Education not only imparts textual knowledge in a child but also builds his overall personality and makes him aware of his surroundings. An educated child can better differentiate between good and bad habits and recognizes the threats and rewards. Education teaches a child how to live a healthy life, preventing diseases and thereby reducing child mortality. An uneducated child remains forever vulnerable, as he doesn’t know how to live a healthy and safe life; therefore, the countries with poor child education have high child mortality rate.
10) Eliminates Child Labor
Education plays a crucial role in a child’s life by instilling knowledge and laying the foundation for his future successes. Education is also crucial for eliminating child labor and its derogatory effects on a nation’s economy and growth. Around 150 Million children worldwide are engaged in child labor and don’t have access to even primary level of education. Their only hope to get out of the misery of child labor lies in education. If they get access to good education, they will be able to get out of the shackles of child labor and carve out a future plan for themselves.
11) Global Workforce
Today the world is developing at a fast pace. We need skilled and competitive youths to take over the reins of development from us in future. That is only possible if the children of today, mainly in the age group of 6 to 15 are given access to good and compulsory education. Only a competitive and well educated adult will be able to contribute to the nation’s growth and economy and help achieve the sustainable development goal of 2030.
12) Eliminates Poverty
No nation has ever achieved prosperity by leaving its children uneducated and deprived. Education is the only weapon which our children could use to fight back poverty and deprivation. Nearly 1 Billion children worldwide are living in poverty and don’t have access to schools; they as well their future children are most likely to spend a life in poverty.
13) Eliminates Child Abuse
Though factors like poverty and unsafe living environment are primarily responsible for incidences of child abuse; education could play a crucial role in eliminating such incidences. An educated child is aware of his environment and is able to dissociate between different people based on their behavior and traits. He/She has a better understanding of good and bad behavior and can judge or make decisions accordingly. An uneducated child on the other hand is most vulnerable to such threats and is easily lured.
Conclusion
Education for children is as much important for the children as it is important for the nation. Since children are the future of a nation; the economic and social development of a nation depends on how it educates its children and make them future ready. Education is the most important constituent of a child’s life, on which his/her future depends.
Education decides that how a child behaves, faces challenges and threats, learns, introspects, aspires and above all has a desire and will to achieve. Even our goals of achieving Global Sustainable Development by 2030 will remain unaccomplished unless we have successfully made the last child to go to school.
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