National Education Day: Role Of Education In Childhood Development
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One of the most important foundations of a quality life lies in your education. It is an integral part of life and helps build character, values, and morals. Education makes you a better person — it teaches you to differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad, and helps develop your skills. It paves the way for a better future by ensuring good jobs, financial security, and building confidence. So, it’s safe to say that education is the backbone of a stable life. Keeping that in mind, India celebrates November 11 every year as National Education Day to memorialize the birthday of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who was the first Minister for Education in India. Keep reading to know more:
History Of National Education Day
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad made exemplary contributions to the field of education. His reputation as the leading architect of the education system in India gave him the honor of being India’s first Vice President and the first education minister between the years 1947 to 1958.
In September 2008, the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India declared the “great son of India”, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s birthday, as National Education Day. It is a day dedicated to remembering and recognizing the contributions of Abul Kalam in laying the foundation of education in independent India.
The importance of education cannot be underestimated. It not only contributes to a better life at an individual level but also at a community level. Having an education illuminates a person’s mind and thinking. It helps people feel, think and behave in ways that lead to personal satisfaction. Education also prepares you for life experiences, develops critical thinking and personality (1). Without education, life is simply incomplete.
Now that you have a brief idea of the history of National Education Day and the importance of education in everyday life, let’s look at what role it plays in childhood development:
Why Is Education Important In Early Childhood?
Your child is born into this world with nothing but instincts. Everything else they learn and develop is by watching you and learning from you. They also learn a lot from their surroundings. The brain develops the majority of its neurons between birth and three years of age. However, over the next five years, education in a child’s life plays a significant role in their social and cognitive development (2).
Reasons Why Education Is Important
Children are the future. Therefore, it’s crucial that they are well-read and can contribute to society positively and effectively. Here are five reasons why education is essential:
1. Stable Life
There’s no denying that financial stability is absolutely essential, and education can give you that. When you’re educated, there are higher chances of you securing a good job that pays well.
It is only by securing a graduation in a particular field that you will be eligible to apply for a good job. This is true for most government as well as private jobs today. You learn about a particular field and hone the skills to excel in it, making you great at your job.
2. Interpersonal Skills
Humans are social beings. You might be an introvert and enjoy your own company a lot, but you need to interact with people and build relationships to lead a happy and fulfilling life — education helps with this. Education at school facilitates social interactions from a very young age. You get to interact with people from different strata of society with different culture and languages. You develop the skills to work with other people, hold conversations, and learn how to act in society through education.
3. Fulfills Basic Needs
You have the ability to fulfill basic needs when you’re educated. You can take care of yourself and provide for yourself because you land a job and present yourself well. With a solid education, you can eat well and practice self-care. You also learn practical life skills that help you navigate life in the best way possible.
4. Gather Knowledge
Though job security and career advancement are the immediate gains from a good education, we don’t appreciate how good education enhances our overall knowledge about this world in general. Education allows you to gather knowledge about several things. From art, history, and cultural studies to mathematics, science, and geography, knowledge is not limited to age. The sky’s the limit for education, and there are always opportunities to learn, no matter how old you get.
5. Fosters Critical Thinking
With proper education and training, you develop the skills to engage in critical thinking, which is extremely important in daily life. Critical thinking allows you to make decisions that benefit you in the best way possible. It’s a way to optimize your decision-making to reward you with the best possible outcomes. Education gives you the training to put aside assumptions and biases (to a certain extent) and analyze situations to understand them better.
World Education Day is a great day to remember why everyone needs a proper education. Seeing that November 11 was just around the corner, it’s good to remember the day and the legendary Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who gave Indian education the direction it needed. Though the importance of education is often agreed upon by all, not everyone is fortunate enough to send their children to school for various reasons. Government and civic bodies are doing their best to make it possible for everyone to attend school and at least make it to primary education. If citizens like you and me also come forward and help our underprivileged send their little ones to school, one day we might be able to proudly say that every kid in our country gets a chance to gain education.
So, go ahead and tell your kids all about this day and why we celebrate it. While you’re at it, also tell them why education is important and how it doesn’t end with a mere degree. We are all learning every day, and it never stops until our last breath. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!
References
- The Importance of Education
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260075970_The_Importance_of_Education - What’s the Importance of Early Childhood Education?
https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-early-childhood-studies/resource/what-is-the-importance-of-early-childhood-education
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