Education is a whole process of an intake of what is not just there in the books but learning to be a part of a society and knowing to be part of the worldwide communities and having the ability to connect.
Private schools in Oman seemed to have this advantage as they seemed to have students of various nationalities enrolled.
A young Omani school student said how he has been intrigued by sushi, a dish his classmate from Far East enjoys. Is it really uncooked fish, he had asked.
That is the beauty of getting to know other cultures at an earlier age. One can imagine how accepting and understanding children would be. In the past youngsters used to have pen pals, where we wrote letters and exchanged information. There was definitely mental growth and not to forget a pride in having a friend so far away.
Of course today social media is open to all, but the magic of pen pals seems to be missing. Look into WhatsApp groups of students and there seems to an attempt to be cool at the cost of politeness.
The fact however remains that it could be a phase teenagers go through and there is also no way other than letting the child understand this side of life too hoping one does parenting right enough for the teenager have the ability to discriminate from what is suitable and what is not.
The world today is a melting pot and how much ever we become universal the only way to success is good manners and attitude. Nevertheless, it goes without saying education is of at most importance. Currently the situation of education is going through the toughest phases ever. With the #LetMeLearn campaign happening on full swing with the Transforming Education Summit the reality of education globally is in focus.
There is a drastic need for teachers, 69 million teachers are needed to achieve universal basic education by 2030.
According to Unesco, qualified teachers shape the future of children and better world, “They must be supported, better paid and respected.”
Only one in three 10 year olds globally can read and understand a simple story. Unicef USA also tweeted, “We must face an uncomfortable truth: children are in school but not learning.”
Gordon Brown, during the summit, spoke about the 153 million children that are suffering from as shortage of food, famine and malnutrition. “School lessons are not enough, there has to be schools meals as well”, he said.
According to him the UN pledge to achieve universal education by 2030 can only be realised, “If we focus our attention and our funding on the needs of the crisis - affected, of refugees and of displaced children and young people throughout the world.”
On the other hand, according to Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, “ In 2021, 244 million children and young people were out of school,” and this is being referred to as education crisis.
Unesco also has pointed out that too many girls globally are still denied their fundamental right to education. The figure is huge - 118.5 million girls globally out of school. That is not all about 771 million adults lack basic literacy skills. When we are young we may not comprehend the importance of education. As a teenager we dream about independence but the reality is education is true independence.
On the the other hand time does not stand still and the days that pass by will never return. The mind is eager for knowledge and with education our prospects grow. Education provides us the potential and we still need to further it with skills. Most importantly, education expands our mind and when it does the possibilities are endless. Dreams do not remain there, they become achievable.
If you are in school today, and you have been educated - you know it is a blessing.
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