What is fundamental for a peaceful and prosperous world is quality education. Unfortunately what we are witnessing currently is that education is in a crisis as it is not aiding to shape a world that ensures social, economic, and environmental justice.
By education, I do not mean the mindless pursuit of achieving top grades and marks. It should be based on more knowledge and awareness. Because without education, or where education is low, and not within the reach of the citizens, there will not be established order. Chaos and anarchy thrive where education does not!
So education is fundamental to development and growth -- from health advances and agricultural innovations to efficient public administration and private sector growth. As people play the most important role in shaping the status of the country, education is responsible for shaping a person.
As global bodies like International Labour Organisation suggest a transformation with systemic changes in the prevailing educational model is required. By transforming education means empowering learners with knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to be resilient, adaptable, and prepared for the uncertain future.
Today, most countries in the world are in the midst of a list of a number of pressing challenges including global warming, loss of biodiversity, growing gender inequalities and discrimination, and devastating pandemics like Covid-19.
It is estimated that of the world’s 787 million children of primary school age, 8 per cent do not go to school. The new figures show that 244 million children and youth between the ages of 6 and 18 worldwide were still missing out on school in 2021.
These children are the future and will be responsible for the development of the nation. Knowledge is power and education empowers. Nelson Mandela has quoted, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.
The government of each country should ensure that education reaches everyone. Laws must be promulgated for mandatory education till a certain age which could make every individual aware of the basic living in society.
In this context is the fourth goal of the United Nations 2030 agenda that ensures quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. Everyone has a role to play in improving the quality of education. Governments, teachers, and schools have a vanguard role to play, along with parents and students themselves.
And when it comes to the Sultanate of Oman, the country is on the right track in achieving the goal of providing quality education, reflecting the pivotal importance of the sustainable development file within the national agenda.
Under the Oman Vision 2040, the government has been making great efforts to train and upgrade the qualifications of Omani citizens to enable them to contribute to the development of society and humanity at large.
The government’s attention to education and training has been reflected in setting legislation, developing policies, and upgrading programmes and institutions. The Basic Law of the country states, “Education is a right for every citizen, its aim is to build the Omani personality, preserve the national identity, and consolidate the scientific method.”
Now back to the educational transformation again -- without it no human being will be able to achieve the knowledge and skills they need to stay fit in this globalized complex world. Nor will they be able to live harmoniously!
In the long term, education reaps greater benefits, educated kids today will develop a very civilized and moral society tomorrow!
The writer is a senior journalist and author with nearly four decades of experience in broadsheet newspapers and magazines in India and the Gulf region
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