School: Saint Charles Secondary School Nigercem. Ebonyi State
18 Years. Male
PREAMBLE:
It was a famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle who pointed out that the future of every empire, depends solely on the education and training of the citizens. Fredrick Douglass also said and believed that, education is the path to freedom. Education according to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary is the process of teaching, training and learning especially in schools and colleges to improve knowledge and development of skills. It is the totality of the processes aimed at making an individual a functional citizen of a state. Education may be informal, non-formal or formal.
INFORMAL EDUCATION
In the words of Hosea Ballou, ‘Education commences at the mother’s knee and any word spoken to the hearing of the child tends to character formation’. Informal education begins immediately a child is born. The child learns basic skills and attitudes like how to talk, respect for elders and how to live in harmony with others in the family.
NON – FORMAL EDUCATION
This type of education is carried out in a specialized place. For instance, an apprentice mechanic undergoes a course of study in an organized setting called a workshop. There is no general curriculum to be followed but the individual learns from the whims and caprices of the master.
FORMAL EDUCATION
This type of education involves teaching and learning in schools and colleges. The school educates the individual on his rights and the freedom he has to exercise them. this is a more organized educational settings.
PATHS TO FREEDOM AND FUTURE
Taking our country Nigeria as a case study, the Berlin conference of 1885 saw Nigeria under the captivity of the British government, during the scramble for and partitioning of the African continent by the Europeans. These colonial masters capitalized on the illiteracy of the people to ravage their economy to the ore. The people were denied their freedom because they could neither read nor right. Due to the problem of communication, the colonists introduced western education which became instrumental in the fight for freedom by the nationalists.
The introduction of western education made it possible for the likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, Hebert Macaulay, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and bunch of other nationalist to fight for Nigeria’s freedom. They used every educational means at their disposal like petition, criticism, agitation, demonstration to seek for Nigeria’s independence. Nigeria finally got her independence in 1960, courtesy of the educated nationalists.
A prove to the fact education is the path to the future is the path to the future is the advent of since and technology. The invention of modern gadgets like telephones, television, radio, compute and other machine were has made the world a global village. This is an assurance for a bright future for both the present and generations to come. The internet has made the people whether from rich or poor families to venture into gainfully attractive jobs. This has helped to bring light to the futures of some indigent personalities.
Furthermore, education has helped people too acquire skills and knowledge with which to use and solve their daily problems. An academically poor individual can be educated on the skills of mechanic, mason, carpentry and other gainful skills. The individual can start working and generate income for feeding himself and his family. A skilled person is free to carry out his responsibilities without depending on any other person, which may lead to slavery. This is an assurance for a bright future for people who think they are academically poor.
More so, the abolition of colonialism and slavery is as a result of education. The high rate of illiteracy among people made them indulge in slavery and colonialism. The freedom of people is denied them in a colonial or slavery setting. But education ad enlightenment has broaden the views of people and made them to recognize the rights of their own. The abolition of slavery has made us free from every oppression and suffering and has given the future generation, a bright future..
In addition, education, be it formal, non-formal or informal teaches the right moral and social behaviour. The high rate of social and moral decadence in our society is because of the lack of enlightenment on the citizens. An educated personality knows the right attitude and behaviour at any given time. He is honest, hardworking, truthful, patriotic and selfless. All these qualities he will inculcate into his children which will help them to be good behaved in the future.
CONCLUSION
In the words of John F. Kennedy, ‘our progress as a nation cannot be swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our best resources’. It is also believed that if you are not informed, you are deformed. For freedom and a bright future, the education of the citizens should be a priority of every administration. This will bring a sustainable development to the nation in time to come/future.