Why Investment in Education Should be a Top Priority for any Government
Why should investment in education be a top priority for any Government?
Education could easily be described as the ability to read and write. While a lot of people could go to any length to argue that this really is what education is, education is a lot more than just reading and writing. Education involves trying out to find out the reason for various occurrences and making use of the ability to read and write to bring improvements to our lives.
Meaning of Education
Basically, education is the process of acquiring skills and knowledge through instructions and studying. Education comes in two forms. They are formal and informal. While the former involves making use of a structured curriculum, the later involves acquiring skills and knowledge through the use of a curriculum that has no structure.
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Why Investment in Education is Important
Virtually everyone in today’s world agrees that education is of utmost importance in our lives, as well as in the lives of our children. As a matter of fact, education is so important that in lots of countries that are industrialized, every citizen has to go through at least 10 years of education.
Unlike industrialized countries, education in developing countries has a different tale. According to surveys, up to 780 million men and women are illiterate. While up to 60 million children are not receiving an education.
In as much as this is indeed a terrible thing, it appears to be so because a lot of people are of the idea that education is only important for social development. Well, contrary to what a lot of people think, education is a needed tool for any nation to go through economic development.
A lot of individuals believe that money is a strong determinant of people wellbeing. In as much as this might be quite true, the content of people’s minds is actually more vital. When shaped by education, the content of people’s minds can help in improving people’s standard of living by making the economy better, making the society a better place, and improving the quality of healthcare.
There are quite a number of reasons why investment in education should be a top priority for the government of any country. Below are some of those reasons.
Education Brings About Empowerment
Education brings about the empowerment of people and the transformation of lives. It is a source of confidence, hope and dignity. With education comes the equipment and skills which are needed to live above poverty
Education brings about a steady growth in the economy. Education might seem expensive. However, any amount that is spent by a nation in educating its populace brings about lots of positive gains for the economy of that nation, as well as that of the world.
Unemployment is on the rise. While a lot of solutions have been proffered to put an end to the menace of unemployment. A rapid investment in education is a trusted way to ensure that the issue of unemployment is death with.
Education is Important for Children
Children are the future of every population and as a result of this, they should be educated. The future and the development of a country depends on how educationally developed the children in a country are.
Through education, the values of the older generation can be passed on go the children. Also, education is a vehicle through which the young population of a nation can develop physically and mentally.
Education Improves the standard of living
A lot of people are of the opinion that education can be used as a tool in fulfilling all the needs of people and helping people meet their expectations in life. In as much as this is true, education can do a lot more than this. Education can be used to improve the standard of living of every nation. This can be done without necessarily increasing the cost of living. The reason for this is education brings about much needed innovation which can be used to better the lives of any population.
With the right investment in education by a government, there could be reductions in the rate of importation of basic amenities and also things that make life a lot easier. And an increase in the rate of production of these devices. This, will therefore, result in cheaper price tags attached to these products. This ultimately makes them available and leads to an increase in the standard of living without.
In the 19th century, Finland was considered one of the poorest countries in Europe. Between the years of 1868 and 1869, Finland was affected by the most severe famine in Europe which was not in any way related to politics. While this was on, Finland lost about half its population of children.
Although the economy of Finland which was dependent on subsistence agriculture was very badly affected, that was the last time Finland suffered from such disaster. After the issue of famine came to an end, with the support of the government, the Lutheran Church began an intense educational campaign. This campaign ensured that young people that were ready to bet married could only do so after they had successfully gone through a literacy test. In addition to this, there was a major increase in the amount of elementary school teachers in Finland. As a result of this educational campaign, all young people in Finland had basic education at the beginning of the 29th century.
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Education Reduces Insecurity
Issues of insecurity are more rampant in an environment that is dominated by jobless and uneducated people. More often than not, these people are young and have been unable to get any form of education or the right education because of the fact that they are less privileged.
For our environment to be made safe, the value of education has to be recognized by the government and adequate funds invested in making education better. With an increase in education will come a decrease in insecurity.
Education Promotes National Interest
The promotion of national interest is perhaps one of the most important benefits of education to the government of any nation. Individuals that are very educated are generally more intelligent than individuals that are not very educated or not educated at all. They are able to come to reasonable conclusions by putting facts together. When the government invests in education, more people from that a country have what is required to work for the betterment of the country.
Education is a major tool for peaceful coexistence. Education is a major influence on people minds and attitudes and is therefore a tool for mutual understanding which is obviously needed for various individuals to exist together peacefully.
Education leads to development
A lot of developing countries have education as their backbone. For the growth of the economy of any developing nation to be sustained, the government of such country has to invest a lot into the education of the young in such country.
It is common knowledge that the most vital resource of a nation is its human capital. When the citizens of a country are educated, it is much easier for them to understand each other.
About half a century ago, Mauritius was a country that was characterized by environmental destruction, poverty, and a huge population. Well, to put an end to the issues of poverty and an unwanted huge population, the Mauritius government began a family planning campaign alongside compulsory education for females. As soon as this began, it was followed by a decline in population growth.
Education Prevents Dependence
Being educated gives every citizen of a country the ability to earn a decent living. When the government of a nation invests in education, it prevents dependence on the government as well as on fellow citizens. The citizens of a country become innovative when properly educated. This does not only help them earn very decent livings, it also leads to an increase in the number of available jobs.
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