ONE OF THE think that after writing my last article, I’m not qualified to talk about this topic anymore. But, you’re right here reading from me again because I have something to tell you.
And like you always do, you’ll listen (read me), even if for this one last time.
Now, what is the earliest thing you remember starting with your life as a kid?
Think!
Nah. You really don’t have to.
Nah. You really don’t have to.
The answer is what I can equally provide.
The earliest thing I remember doing as soon as I was able to talk and walk, was starting school. And that’s probably the same for you. We basically started attending school as soon as we were 2 year olds. Nowadays, some children are enrolled in school as soon as they start crawling. Maybe I’ve gone overboard with that but isn’t it a wonder that most children aren’t allowed to bond well with their mothers before being weaned? And why? Well, because “they have to start school
Someone had to make that decision for them. Right? And the socially acceptable purpose, so to speak, for every born child is to start school as soon as possible.
Can you also remember how your parents often point you in the direction of their value systems or what is good for you to imbibe from them? They’ll often reprimand you if you fail – by their standards – at something, and generally make you understand how to behave as a human fit for the society, drawing from their own well of knowledge and experiences over the years.
This takes me back to the topic and the debate around getting an education vs. just learning.
If you’d indulge me, let’s cite some sources and see what they are saying about these two widely spoken yet intertwined concepts. According to Wikipedia, Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, habits, and personal development WHILE Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences.
By comparison, Oxford Dictionary described Education as “a process of teaching, training and learning, especially in schools, colleges or universities, to improve knowledge and develop skills” and Learning as “the process of learning something” (Okay. I wasn’t expecting that. 😇)
Let’s break it down a little further.
Education and Learning
They are both related yet different.
How are they related?
Getting an education and learning are processes, that is, a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
In getting an education, you go to school (process), you take exams (process), you work on projects (process), etc.
To learn also, you have to first open your mind to it (process), invest in a cause (process), analyze others’ opinions (process), etc.
So these two concepts take ‘process’ that culminates into a series.
.Whereas the school – which provides formal education – has established curricula and mode of deliveries of lesson which are strictly followed, the home and society – where you can learn from – has an informal setting where you can get an understanding of different concepts and skills and morals and so on.
- While learning can be a natural and unsystematic process, getting an education has to be deliberate and systematic. For example, you make a choice to attend college or not to, taking an MBA is a choice as well, starting a PhD program isn’t a natural process either, and so on and so forth.
- Learning can happen coincidentally, but an education is gotten through systemic instructions. That is, you can automatically acquire new knowledge from an experience but you need guidance in getting an education which is rather purposive than natural.
- Learning is (should be) an ongoing process for everyone. On the other hand, Education is something that someone gets at some point in their lives. For example, your parents gave you your first education, you then decide whether to attend college or not.
- Learning is a basic instinct, education, on the other hand, is acquired. Nothing much has to be said here. You already get the gist, don’t you?
So here are the insights we can draw from the analyses above:
It is very possible to learn (be knowledgeable about something) without necessarily getting an education.
However, it is evident that getting an education plays an important part in our lives, personally, professionally, emotionally, and socially.
Should we then say one (i.e learning) is better than the other (i.e education)?
No!
But could the perks of getting one far outweigh the other?
That’s probably a Yes!
Stay with me, as we enumerate the importance of education together.
Why Getting an Education is Extremely Important
1. Education gives you confidence. Often times, you see educated persons taking higher risks than their illiterate counterparts. Their self-esteem also gets boosted in a way that you can’t exactly tell whether spending years in the four walls of a school was what made them so, or it was the kind of valuable information they received while schooling. Regardless, you’ll agree with me that the confidence an educated man would muster in front of say, the President of his country, would be different from that of an uneducated individual.
2. Education opens up a world of equal opportunities. If the son of a peasant farmer manages to get a degree or any form of higher education, he’ll be given as much respect and have access to as much opportunities (education-wise) as the son of a rich man who gets the same degree. Think about that for a moment. Furthermore, the higher you get in acquiring quality education, the broader the kind of exquisite opportunities you have access to.
3. Education gives you freedom from mental slavery. Slavery here means ‘ignorance’ and everything in-between. Getting an education is like getting a liberation from archaic mindsets and mentalities that only keep you grounded in a fixed position. Education opens you up to the world of relevant ‘information’ which is pivotal to unlocking lots of things these days.
4. If you are educated, you’re well aware of your rights. Now this right here needs no explaining. Do you know your basic human rights? Would a person who’s never gone to school be privy to such information? Well, maybe not.
5. The more educated you are, the better career options you have. This is the highlight of it all. You’ll agree with me that your higher education degree had a thing or two to do with your current position now, even as you read this article.
And now…
As I bring this article to a close, I want you to remember Nelson Mandela‘s words. If this would be the only thing you gt from this article, then we’re fine:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Now don’t you think you should get this weapon.
How are they different?
- Whereas the school – which provides formal education – has established curricula and mode of deliveries of lesson which are strictly followed, the home and society – where you can learn from – has an informal setting where you can get an understanding of different concepts and skills and morals and so on.
- While learning can be a natural and unsystematic process, getting an education has to be deliberate and systematic. For example, you make a choice to attend college or not to, taking an MBA is a choice as well, starting a PhD program isn’t a natural process either, and so on and so forth.
- Learning can happen coincidentally, but an education is gotten through systemic instructions. That is, you can automatically acquire new knowledge from an experience but you need guidance in getting an education which is rather purposive than natural.
- Learning is (should be) an ongoing process for everyone. On the other hand, Education is something that someone gets at some point in their lives. For example, your parents gave you your first education, you then decide whether to attend college or not.
- Learning is a basic instinct, education, on the other hand, is acquired. Nothing much has to be said here. You already get the gist, don’t you?
So here are the insights we can draw from the analyses above:
It is very possible to learn (be knowledgeable about something) without necessarily getting an education.
However, it is evident that getting an education plays an important part in our lives, personally, professionally, emotionally, and socially.
Should we then say one (i.e learning) is better than the other (i.e education)?
No!
But could the perks of getting one far outweigh the other?
That’s probably a Yes!
Stay with me, as we enumerate the importance of education together.
Why Getting an Education is Extremely Important
1. Education gives you confidence. Often times, you see educated persons taking higher risks than their illiterate counterparts. Their self-esteem also gets boosted in a way that you can’t exactly tell whether spending years in the four walls of a school was what made them so, or it was the kind of valuable information they received while schooling. Regardless, you’ll agree with me that the confidence an educated man would muster in front of say, the President of his country, would be different from that of an uneducated individual.
2. Education opens up a world of equal opportunities. If the son of a peasant farmer manages to get a degree or any form of higher education, he’ll be given as much respect and have access to as much opportunities (education-wise) as the son of a rich man who gets the same degree. Think about that for a moment. Furthermore, the higher you get in acquiring quality education, the broader the kind of exquisite opportunities you have access to.
3. Education gives you freedom from mental slavery. Slavery here means ‘ignorance’ and everything in-between. Getting an education is like getting a liberation from archaic mindsets and mentalities that only keep you grounded in a fixed position. Education opens you up to the world of relevant ‘information’ which is pivotal to unlocking lots of things these days.
4. If you are educated, you’re well aware of your rights. Now this right here needs no explaining. Do you know your basic human rights? Would a person who’s never gone to school be privy to such information? Well, maybe not.
5. The more educated you are, the better career options you have. This is the highlight of it all. You’ll agree with me that your higher education degree had a thing or two to do with your current position now, even as you read this article.
And now…
As I bring this article to a close, I want you to remember Nelson Mandela‘s words. If this would be the only thing you gt from this article, then we’re fine: