Today marks the annual celebration of the role of education in bringing forth global peace and resourceful uncompromising living conditions that have the capacity to meet human needs in present and for future generations.
Growing up in a family of teachers and educational facilitators, I was priviledged to experience the benefits of second hand exposure to the power of education. The actively assisted acquisition of knowledge and learning skills contributed greatly to my understanding of the value of personal development and its ability to create the capacity for socially navigable interpersonal skills that improve the quality of life in the long run.
As a child I learnt very early on about the fundamental human right to education and the difference in ones sense of self worth, esteem and countenance when exposed to alternations in education and teaching practices. From being partially homeschooled, to attending after school clubs, Saturday school, summer schemes and cultural heritage programmes I noticed the affect this had on my ability to understand and coexist with others as I did myself; with respect and dignity.
Some would argue that education should be free for all but the printing, publishing and editing of academic texts is a trade in itself, accompanied by trained persons who would help learners navigate new bites of knowledge. There are particular institutions that are provided with grants and donations and budget accordingly to fit the bill assigned to those who require access to learning.
On the flip side there are privately financed spaces whose main criterion selects learners from exclusive populations of earners with the economic capital that they are able to dispose of in ways that may not affect them in the same way it may those with disproportionately lesser incomes.
• Equal rights to education would grant individuals a fairness in teaching that refuses to discriminate based on individual differences.
• Educational equity would provide individuals and groups with the right amount of resources needed for a better quality learning experience and democratic governments and societies would be obligated to protect, respect, and fulfil this right to education.
Whether through storytelling, training, research or discussions, education can take place in a variety of spaces. Individuals should be encouraged to proactively take on the authority of self study and educate themselves where they can in order to participate in the journey to bettering society as a whole beginning with the individual.
International Day of Education is an annual international observance day established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on December 3 2018. It is dedicated to the resolution passed for the global goals established for the betterment of an educated individual and the domino affects it could have on the cycle of a healthy and cultured society.
