As the saying goes, “education is the best legacy.” As such, the benefits of education to every individual and society are enormous.
Education is the process of transferring knowledge and skills from one person to another. Through education, we become enlightened to take meaningful decisions. In other words, education makes us responsible and reasonable individuals.
Education reflects how we interact, our thinking process, our understanding, and how we generally do things.
Today, humans can provide solutions to social problems, build technology to make work easier, improve healthcare, and solve complex problems, all thanks to education.
As said, education is essential and its role in the life of humans and society is evident. This article highlights the 11 benefits of education and why it is important that every individual is educated.
Let’s examine them.
1. Societal Development
Education has a direct impact on society. We see the effect of education in reducing crime. This is because right from an early age, kids are taught what is right or wrong and encouraged to act with empathy for others.
Furthermore, education has brought about even more education because most individuals now see the need to go to school and send their kids to school also. More people are willing to acquire a doctorate degree which is the highest level of education.
In addition, education has led to the provision of more jobs for individuals in society. As such, we have fewer unemployed and more useful individuals in society.
2. Human Enlightenment
The state of a human mind determines his behavior, perception, values, and beliefs. Without education, most humans would have a biased perspective on life.
More so, we may not be able to think critically. As such we would naturally believe those things which we are told without question, whether right or wrong.
What this means is that theories, values, and beliefs that are wrong will continue to thrive. Racism, ethnicity, tribalism, and inequality are those wrong belief systems that have been addressed as a result of the enlightenment gotten through education.
Furthermore, through education, strict measures have been put in place to curb societal excesses such as rape, manhandling, child marriage, and the like.
Pretty much every development we see today is a result of the enlightenment brought about by educating our minds.
3. Economic Development
Another benefit of education is economic development. Through education, we gain more knowledge. Furthermore, education impacts our creativity; our ability to think about new and improved ways to do things.
Technological advances and business development largely influence the development of the economy.
In that regard, entrepreneurs have built sustainable and highly profitable ventures through their knowledge of the business.
The taxes from their businesses drive economic development. Also, scientists and inventors have come up with new and improved technologies that solve a problem or make a process easier to do.
Furthermore, education in economics and finance helps the government make better policies that impact the economy positively.
Lastly, since education increases employment, more people contribute towards economic development to improve it.
4. Human Empowerment
Our ability to read and put our thoughts into writing is enough empowerment. In the same vein, education opens your eyes to skills and talents that are peculiar to you. After which, these individuals are trained to harness and develop their skills.
In addition, education imbibes skills such as critical thinking skills needed to make rational decisions and solve problems on your own.
Furthermore, learned individuals get to do assignments, projects, research, data analysis, and presentations while in school. Through this, they become highly productive and disciplined individuals.
Also, they are able to gain interpersonal, communication, presentation, data analysis, and research skills which make them highly valuable in the workplace.
5. Improvement In The Standard Of Living
Through education, many individuals have gained employment and live comfortably. As a result, poverty reduces, and the general standard of living of people in society increases.
This improvement is usually evident in the gross domestic product of a country. Moreover, with education comes the provision of better healthcare facilities.
Before the introduction of medical science, people adopt traditional means of treating illness which led to a high death rate. But today, through medicinal science and technology, doctors can treat all types of sicknesses, all thanks to education.
Therefore education is beneficial to improving the welfare of the people which relates to their standard of living.
6. Giving Back To The Community
First of all, as a learned and employed individual, you become automatically useful as an asset to society rather than a liability.
Secondly, as a learned individual, you can start a venture where you employ people to work and earn money for a living. Through this, crime and unemployment reduce drastically and society develops.
Furthermore, if you are well-to-do, you could sponsor community services like building a drainage system, a borehole or public water project, a public toilet, and the like. community work.
It is even possible to start an NGO that caters to teething societal problems. In addition as a learned youth or adult, you have an understanding that community services are important. Therefore, it will be a priority for you to engage in such activities when called upon.
Lastly, you may represent your constituency in politics as a senator, and a speaker of the House of Representatives, and bring development to your community.
7. Increment In Employment Opportunities
Education breeds innovation. The more we progress, new technologies, businesses, and ideas are birth, and as such new opportunities arise in the form of jobs.
The work environment has evolved over the years. In antiquity, jobs like farming, hunting, fishing, trading, etc. were the only jobs available and they had to build crude materials to carry out their daily activities.
Some centuries later, the industrial revolution led to the influx of many industries where heavy machines were used. Hence, most men were factory workers and women were housewives.
In the 21st century, knowledge has expanded. We have computers and technologies available to us. Therefore so many jobs have been created.
Lastly, as problems arise more new jobs are being introduced, the most recent being the explosion of online jobs that allows you to work from anywhere you are.
8. Foster Equality
One of the benefits of education has been the encouragement of gender, race, religion, and cultural and social equality.
This is to say that education is a great leveler. Through education, people of different statuses can interact based on knowledge and intellect.
More importantly, through education women are standing up for themselves, and stepping up to relevant positions in society. Education has pushed them to fight for their right in business, politics, and across all spheres.
Furthermore, everyone can compete for the same position based on competence regardless of race, color, or whatever is different.
Barack Obama, a one-time US president, was a black man. This became possible because of the influence of education and enlightenment in society.
9. Securing a Higher Income
The more skilled you are, the greater the pay. Obviously, those with higher levels of education are more skilled than unlearned individuals. They work in more specialized departments of an organization and receive greater remunerations than uneducated individuals.
In addition, learned entrepreneurs will outperform the unlearned any day, anytime. This is due to the exposure that education brings.
Therefore, in whatever business an educated man does you would see a touch of excellence that differentiates him from a man with no educational background.
When it comes to customer service, business strategy, financial management, and the basic management skill needed in business, an uneducated man has little or no knowledge in that.
As such, it is difficult to build a profitable business venture without proper education.
10. Promoting Multicultural Unity and Diversity
Through education, particularly online education, students from all parts of the world can take classes together.
As a result, we learn to associate with different individuals, carry out tasks and assignments together, and learn their culture and beliefs and vice versa.
Furthermore, this makes us more open to people’s differences and tolerant of individuals regardless of their race.
Lastly, with the advent of social media as a result of education, people can connect with other individuals across the world, and even become friends.
11. Common Languages
One benefit of education worldwide is that many individuals can now speak common languages such as English or French.
The result of this is that people can interact with other people across their country. Also, individuals and organizations can do business across borders, and countries can engage in international trade.
FAQs
What is the main purpose of education?
The major purpose of education is to enlighten people and make them critical thinkers.
How will education help you achieve your goals?
With education, you will gain the skills and knowledge you need to become employed or start a business of your own. Furthermore, you can make rational decisions as a learned individual.
Does education make the world a better place?
Yes. Education allows individuals to be more responsible members of society. Right virtues like empathy, discipline, and hard work are gained through education.
Conclusion
I have carefully outlined in this article, some of the benefits of education to society and to individuals alike. Therefore, you cannot afford to stay uneducated.
Lack of education at this age and time is a setback for such individuals. Hence, as a well-to-do, learned individual, you may start a campaign to sponsor underprivileged children to school.
Also, in towns where they lack access to good schools and finance or are affected by natural disasters, setting up a free school is a welcome idea. You may further solicit help or donations from philanthropist organizations to improve the students’ standard of education.
Through this, you are serving your community as a responsible member of society.
To sum it up, education today has gone beyond the four corners of a classroom and there are different levels of education. There are many online learning platforms to take advantage of. You can see the benefits of online learning in this post.
I hope you found this post helpful. Thanks for reading.
