The Purpose of an Education by Allison

The Purpose of an Education by Allison - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Education is learning skills and knowledge through experience and/or instruction. Education can be formal, such as a school, or informal such as a new concept learned by reading a book. The sum of a person's learning is his or her education. With this definition, everyone has some level of education. What, then, is the purpose of this education? How does it benefit the learner and society?

Thousands of years ago, villagers taught their children how to survive and thrive. Children learned how to hunt, cook, apply natural remedies, follow superstitions and religious concepts, how to behave, and how to contribute to their society as they grew up. Although many years have passed since the time of cavemen, the overarching purpose of education is still to improve one's quality of life and the lives of others. The process of education today has become more convoluted than in the time of the first humanoids, but the purpose remains the same.

The purpose of education is the same, but the means for learning are not the same for individuals. For instance, my grandfather only had a sixth grade formal education before he dropped out of school to work in a coal mine. My father attended formal school through high-school, and then also worked in a coal mine before becoming a dairy farmer. My mother attended a two-year teaching certification program and worked for 38 years as an educator. My sister is in medical school and intends to pursue a career as a medical doctor of neonatology. All of these people in my family have different formal educational attainments, but all have the goal of providing a comfortable life for themselves and their families while contributing to society through meaningful work. The vehicle for attaining knowledge is individualized, but the destination is the same.

As proof of the purpose, education lifts people out of poverty and lack of education keeps them poor. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, I have seen first-hand the impacts of both education and lack of education on an individual. For example, a young man at the orphanage where I work lost his mother to a simple respiratory infection. This boy came to the orphanage and enrolled in a local school. This year, he is graduating valedictorian of his high-school. He plans to pursue medical school because “If I become a doctor, I can help poor people receive treatments for those diseases that are curable with medicine but otherwise fatal.” In contrast, a Filipino woman recently tried to give me her infant daughter. Her partner is abusive. She is uneducated and therefore unable to get a high-paying job which would free her from dependence on the man for income. The main difference in these people's lives is education.

Education is indispensable to the functioning of society. Education is the resolution of social justice issues, the reduction of income inequalities, and the creation of infrastructure. Education is the foundation of scientific discoveries, technological advances, and culture. The greater and more thorough someone's education, the better a life he or she can make for him/herself and others. Successful life and the advancement of society is the purpose of education, and only through education are these goals achieved.