Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Education: The most Powerful Weapon to Change World

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Education:  The most  Powerful Weapon to Change World

No nation has succeeded to change its destiny without strategic investment on education and human capital yet. In fact, education is the only powerful weapon you can use to change the world and unlock the door of freedom. Education enriches people’s understanding of themselves and the world as well as, and us enables to reach peace, prosperity and dignity. It improves the quality of lives and leads to broad social benefits to individuals and society. Education raises people’s productivity, creativity and also promotes entrepreneurship and technological advances.  And overall, it plays a very crucial role in securing social progress and reaching economic development.
According to experts, educated human capital and financial capital, as key factors, are complimentary role for social and economic growth. It means, either type of capital could have been the factor limiting investment in the other type of capital.
Human capital is created initially by providing children with primary and secondary schooling. Private financing of this type of investment is not feasible for poor children. Countries that are highly developed today have a long history of providing free or highly-subsidized education to the poor. A review of their history suggests that the initial motivation for this schooling had a religious basis, but that as the public’s level of education and income rose, their demand for schooling rose, and the financial support from private donors was replaced or greatly augmented with public funds. If poor countries wish to achieve high levels of national income, they need to provide public funding for the universal education of the poor, at least at the primary and secondary levels of schooling.
In the other word, economic and political powers been obtained through providing high quality education. Education is on the of top national priority of powerful and developed countries. For instance, the prestige of the teaching profession in Japan ranked 9th and 18th in public esteem, out of 82 occupations with monthly average 7500$ salary. Elementary teachers enjoyed higher prestige than civil and mechanical engineers, and municipal department heads. Thus, Principals’ prestige is higher than that of department heads of large corporations, public accountants, and authors. University professors were ranked third, below court judges and presidents of large companies, but above physicians. Germany is another example ranking the best educational system in the world with compulsory education law. Accordingly, other great countries such as Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Malaysia have orderly 99.7%, 99.8, 95% and 94.6%literacy rate in the world and accordingly, the pioneer of economic growth as well.  
Many developed countries, including France, Germany and Norway, have provided universal preschool programs for three and four-year-olds for decades. More recently, the UK and New Zealand have made moves to join them. East Asian countries that consistently are in top educational performance lists are rapidly gearing towards universal access for three and four-year-olds. In order to decrease the number of jails, poverty crises and end the social cycle of violence, Afghanistan has to change its mindset and learn the experience available in today’s world. We must give high priority to education programs both in school and university level through national budget.
To sum up, investment in education, or human capital, is the best strategy for economic development process. If we really will to cross from long term poverty crises, we must put education at the top of national priorities. As it is the best way to reaching peace, stability and recognized as a foundation of other infrastructures; like other pioneer countries, we have to make it obligatory duty by national constitution aiming to reach zero illiteracy level in the future. Meanwhile, given that education for girls is not less important than boys; we need to eliminate the barriers and tribal illusions keep girls deprived of schooling. We must understand when a girl is educated, a small community will be educated but when a boy educated, just an individual is educated.

Mohammad Zahir Akbari is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at mohammadzahirakbari@gmail.com

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