Education for posterity by Abdo

Education for posterity by Abdo - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Education is defined as the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. With this in mind, education is not only for one to receive, but for one to give as well. Kofi Annan once said "Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family." Without knowledge and information gained from education, one's mind is not liberated and the being him/herself cannot gain power. The bigger problem however is failure of this knowledge and information gained through education to be passed down for future generations and posterity. Failure to educate one being is failing to educate an entire generation, leaving a whole population mentally barred and powerless.

My father grew up in Somalia prior to the infamous Somali civil war. My dad claimed that the youth as well as the society back then in 1960's and 70's Somalia didn't care for school or education. The Somali youth's main focus was to travel the seas and be sailors, either for the merchant vessels of the Federation, or for the navy. My father too wanted to be a sailor, but his father greatly discouraged this and forced him to study hard and eventually enter medical school in Italy. Now my father, a successful physician, frequently donates money to relief programs in Somalia towards education. The problems Somalia is facing right now directly links to a poorly educated population that can't seem to cooperate through rationality and only through violence. The poorly educated generation my father was in is now much of the governing body in Somalia, and has proven time and time again on the national as well as the international level to be incompetent. With the help not only from my father, but other philanthropists hoping to amplify the importance of incorporation of education in Somalia's youth, not only will a future Somalia seem successful with this newly educated generation, but future generations after as well.

With aid going into Somali schools and education programs, a more educated Somali population will be available to take on the tasks of a governing body and mitigate the crisis Somalia is now in. This directly parallels with any other society or country as well. If we do not look to augment the spending and emphasize the importance in education, the future for the United States looks bleak as well. Education is key to the success of nations and societies, without it rationality and reason won't develop and the people become close minded, hostile, and overall powerless to change society for the better. By stressing the importance of education for our current generation, the importance of education will be passed for generations onward and solidify a successful society and a successful United States.