The Key to Education Reform

By: Diya Padhi

“ Education is the most powerful weapon which you can be used to change the world” ~ Nelson Mandela

Education is considered to be one of the most powerful tools which can change one’s life. It not only makes the human mind more aware but also leads to new discoveries. Every Human being that is born has amazing potential. But that potential can never be fully utilized if a human does not have access to high quality education, or has access to technologies that would help connect a person to valuable knowledge and information. Potential starts with the human mind. Every bit of valuable information that a person can store in their memories, increases their potential. Education is a human right, and a high-quality education needs to be a top priority. For the longest time on Earth, initiatives have been taken to increase the accessibility to education which in return has resulted in positive increasing digits. With the span of time, the methods of how the knowledge is delivered have evolved which brings up a new concern i.e. Educational Reforms. Within the field of education, reforms of education are undoubtedly one of the most complex and controversial subjects, because of the effects that they generate in the societies and countries where they take place.  It is important to understand the object or intention of the educational reform, which normally focuses on certain common factors such as quality, access, equality of opportunity, finance, management, effectiveness, efficiency, and competitiveness in the school systems of primary, secondary, tertiary and non-university education. When speaking of educational reform, one speaks of changes and transformations in the school system involving such factors as educational philosophy, student policies, curriculum, pedagogy, didactics, organization, management, finance, and their links with the development of the nations. In relation to this last point, the worldwide consensus around the reforms of the education and their links to development is almost total, and influenced all educational reforms in the twentieth century. Reforms are needed because according to the survey done in various countries shows how still students lack in reading and mathematics abilities. Along with that, there are many schools which are underperforming despite of sufficient funds. The problem is not the environment, but the schools themselves. Without proactive, passionate teachers, it becomes increasingly difficult for children to perform well, as they do not learn, and, for the most part, do not care. Kids learn from the adults in their lives, and if their teachers present no concerted effort in teaching, then children will do the same in learning. Reforms are required. They have to be progressive. With the advancement of technology and lifestyle, the functionality of education has to change. Thus, Reforms are progressive, and progress is all that we look upto.  According to me, education is just not the knowledge meant for defining or understanding several terminologies but the application of it. For eg, despite of the knowledge of the term “discrimination”(which is prohibited), people still believe in inequality among the human beings which is exactly not why we have been taught about the human rights. Education is empowerment. It is considered powerful because you know more than the uneducated one. Its needed to frame the structure in such a way that when we are educated or taught about any specific thing, we apply the concept in real life as well. That is exactly what EDUCATION is meant for. Ideal Education is the education that just not teaches us the concept but also the applicability in real times.