(Thursday, 5th August 2010 issue)
In today's world, a good education is essential. Not only will one be able to make better decisions in life, but also obtain higher pay and respectable careers with a good education.
A good education not only teaches one the essential skills of the working world; it also prepares the mind to make sane, healthy, and intelligent decisions about any situation that one may encounter in life's journey.
A good education helps one to determine between what is right and what is wrong.
Although there are several benefits to a good education, the main benefit is that it makes one a better person in all aspects of life.
Education is a basic human right, and has been recognised as such since the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Since then, numerous human rights treaties have reaffirmed this right, and have supported entitlement to free, compulsory primary education for all children.
In 1990, the Education for All (EFA) commitment was launched to ensure that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, those in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality.
It is a key to attaining the Millennium Development Goals. It is universally recognised as one of the most fundamental building blocks for human development and poverty reduction. Without education, you are nowhere in this time and age.
We can say that education is simply the soul of a society, as it passes from generation to another. It is also is universally recognised as one of the most fundamental building blocks for human development and poverty reduction.
When given the opportunity to learn, people are empowered to contribute fully to the development of their lives, their communities, and their countries.
Education remains one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality, and helps lay the foundation for sustained economic growth.
Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.
Both individuals and countries benefit from education. For individuals, the potential benefits lie in general quality of life and in the economic returns of sustained, satisfying employment.
For countries, the potential benefits lie in economic growth, and the development of shared values that underpin social cohesion.