EDUCATION??? (with a really 'big' question mark)

"Education is a method whereby one acquires a higher grade of prejudices." 

-Laurence J. Peter-

In my age now, which is just going to turn to 18 several days again, I have heard the word ‘education’ a thousand or even a million times. And, gratefully, I am lucky enough to almost have completed my education in high school. Because as we all know, there are still millions of people out there who are not as lucky as I am. In every corner of every country, there must be a single problem that related to another problem, and badly end with lack of education.

Like eating is our primary needs to provide enough nutrition to our body, and so is education. Education which is only ‘a word’ for those people, has become a really expensive, unaffordable, too high, and impossible dream for they who can’t get it. They who crave a descent education, are also human. Like we all need education, so do they. Like the people who lack nutrition, they can get malnutrition. So the people who lack of education can lack a lot of things. Because once again, since education is a primary needs, it is necessarily needed to provide ourselves with enough knowledge, information, lesson, and guidance.

And then if we look at serious economic problems that  can be minored to social dilemma – especially in developing countries – we may be shocked. In this very modern era, we still find people with unfeasible income, living under poverty, lack of job, or suffer serious and deathful diseases like HIV/AIDS or malaria. We may be stunned because it becomes more serious problem lately. But if we spread the problem to the several part, we may find the root. Yeah, the root of all those major problems that we see everyday is education. Lack of education – in a short word – can create a useless generation who will not be able to face future’s challenges which become more unpredictable. People who can’t afford education don’t go to school like we all do, and they don’t even get knowledge like us. Sometimes in a very young age they have strated to help their parents working as anything – scavengers, street singers, street merchant, anything – that doesn’t require education based, only to prolong their life and their family.

Let me tell you this interrelated impacts. Less educated people can terribly face problems when seeking job, they can even be jobless – like what have been proven by  a lot of research – they can possibly meet various economical problems because they’re jobless, they can’t afford proper life, fall into poverty, and it can probably increase the criminal numbers because they want to find a way to solve their problem by doing something fast and easy. In another aspect like health, education is a big deal too. People usually can’t overcome their health problems such as disability to go to doctor, how to face serious diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria, how important safe sex is, and even another thing from other aspects. It must be a warning for all of us. To see how bad the situation is, and how terrible the impact can be. So to create a better generation, education is a must. Moreover, in this industrial era, education is such like a keyword towards success.

We undoubtedly have to formulate the best way to solve this fundamental problem. Faster, better. Why? Because it’s going worse everyday. As United Nation have put education in goal 2 of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, the success of this program depends on many factors. Government, teachers, and parents should work together in order to create a satisfying solution. Government around the world should start reviewing some regulation on their country about education. They have to formulate a guaranteed and affordable system of education. It can wisely create an opportunity for everyone in this earth.

Teachers also have to take care of this problem seriously. Since they are the symbol of vigor of education, they are one of the most significant determinants. They should criticize government periodically if there any regulation goes wrong, and always be a partner of government. Beside that, parents also become a great factor. The parents – especially who nowadays live under poverty – must change their paradigm about education. Because the fact is, some of them stil think that education isn’t that essential because they are poor. They would rather allow their children work in the street and earn as much money than put their children in a school. Some of them even think that their under-average live is a destiny and that is why their children doesn’t need school. For that term of opinion, they are totally wrong.

That paradigm will completely grow as a narrow mind that could complicate their future. Government should also react to this fact. They have to do a campaign about how important education in a role of determining future. And to do so, it needs time. Maybe 2015 as a MDGs goal is too short if we compare with the current situation. Though there are several development, we have to put a strong bond of cooperation to make the change goes well. To make a better future, as a student we have to be grateful of what we are doing in the moment : defining the word ‘education’ and live with it. Because for they who have heard the word ‘school’ many times, but never ever go there, it is such an unfairness.

To be educated is a rights of everybody. And to be educated is a certain needs that – perhaps – can fix another realated problem, one by one. Because as I’ve told you, education is a root of all problem. We have to fix it firstly. Remember one thing : education takes many role in a matter of creating a better future. As a student, once again, we should appreciate this priceless opportunity. Yeah, education is always be everyday topic. But there are big challenges in front of us to succeed the MDGs program – especially goal 2 about education – and creating a better future. Why can’t we?