Education | Definition, Development, History, Tips, & Facts

 Education is the most powerful means of personal development and social development.  Generally speaking, education is knowing something or gaining knowledge or skill in a particular subject.  But when it is broadly defined, learning is a systematic and life-long process.  Again, the institutional education that we are used to is a narrow concept of education.  In this article an attempt has been made to discuss – the origin of the words education and education, the definition of education, the concept of education and the aims and objectives of education.

 

 ☞Origin of the word Education:--

 There are several opinions about the origin of the word education.  These are mentioned below-

 Many researchers and educationalists agree that the English word education is derived from the Latin word educare or educere.  Here the word educare means – to train and to accustom.  Some say another meaning of educare – to bring up.

 On the other hand, the word educere means – to lead out.  'Bringing out' here means developing the latent mental energy.  Education is derived from educere, although not many people believe it, no one can talk about it at the discussion table.

 If analyzed again, it will be seen that the word education does not come directly from educare.  Several steps had to be crossed in between.  From the Latin educare we can learn about the origin of several words.  Among them are the Latin words educat and educatio, from which also the English word educate (to teach someone) originates.  This is how the English word education originated in the sixteenth century.

 Some say that the English word education comes from the Latin word educatum which means the act of training.  A scholar named Joseph Twadell Shipley wrote in his Dictionary of Word Origins that the English education is derived from the Latin words edex and duccrduc.  Here edex means 'to take out' and duccrduc in Bengali means 'to show the way'.

 ⇨Education in general sense:-

 People learn many things from birth to death.  Anything that a person learns can be termed as 'education'.  This is the basic concept of education.  As such, every person in our society is educated because according to the general concept of education, every person knows or can do something.

 ⇨Features of education in general sense-

 Education is what people learn or know

 No one is uneducated

 Modern education is a learner-centered process.

  In this educational system, the student is actively involved in the learning process.

 Education in the broad sense The concept of education in the general sense and the concept of comprehensive education are essentially the same.  From the time one is born, one begins to learn from one's environment, and learning results in behavioral changes.  Education is a social process in human endeavor which is focused on the solution of some real problem.

 In the broadest sense, education as defined by pedagogues is concerned with the overall effect of the environment on the individual.  Education is the ability to adapt to the improvement, deterioration or any kind of change or condition of the environment in which a person is a member.

 Characteristics of education in broad sense:-

 ➤Everybody is educated and nobody is uneducated.

 ➤Education brings behavioral change.

 ➤Education is the result of a human endeavour.

 ➤Education is a lifelong process.

 ➤Education is the sum of instruction.

 ➤Education is based on goals and objectives.

 ➤Education is a social and psychosocial process.

 ➤Concept of education in special sense we can also call narrow concept of education.

 ➤ The truth is – education is always discussed at our discussion table or we use the word education in a special or narrow sense.  The traditional institutional education system is a narrow concept of education.  Education in a special sense is the acquisition of knowledge in a specific subject or subjects in a recognized educational institution.  Those who have received degrees from schools or classrooms starting from basic concepts of reading, writing and mathematics to university degrees are educated according to the special meaning of education.  On the other hand, those who have never attended an educational institution are called uneducated.

 ☞How many features of education in special or narrow or limited sense:--

 Education is knowledge and skills acquired in educational institutions.

 Education is a structured and layered process.

 Education is a well-planned and purposeful process.

 The education system is managed according to the government or administrative guidelines of the country.

 Teachers are engaged to teach the students.

 Education in a special sense refers to the education that is acquired in educational institutions.  That is why a highly skilled mason is not educated if he does not have formal education.  And even if an engineer with a degree is not very skilled in his work, he will be considered educated.

 ☞What is education or what is the definition of education?

 Everyone who has talked about education has thought about education in his own way, defined it in his own way.  An academic or a philosopher, whichever definition is used, cannot be very satisfied.  Therefore, it is not possible to avoid the words said or written by the educationists or sages like those whose hands education and education system has come to this day.

 ☞Definition of education according to some educationists:-

 ◑Plato identified education as a means of achieving justice.  He said, “Education is the means to achieve both individual and social justice”.  Education is a means of social justice but not a means of social success but a path that leads to truth”.

 ◑Aristotle said, “Education is the name of creating a healthy mind in a healthy body”.

 ◑ John Dewey wrote in the book How We Think, Education is the process of living but not the preparation for living in the future.

 ◑Martin Luther King Jr. said, Education changes a person to be able to distinguish truth from falsehood, real from unreal, fantasy from fantasy.

 ◑F.  J.  Brown says about education, “Learning is a process that starts from birth and continues throughout one's life.  Education is life, all life is education”.

 ◑B.  F.  Skinner said, “Education means growth and growth means multifaceted development”.

 ◑According to Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, “Education is the natural, balanced and progressive development of man's inherent powers”.

 ◑John Frederick Herbert said, “Education is the development of the moral character of man”.

 ◑Swami Vivekananda said, “Education is the development of the inherent greatness of man”.

 What is modern education?

 The process in which individual or student's needs, interests, inclinations, needs etc. are given importance and efforts are made to establish them as a viable public resource to keep pace with the progressing society and the world is called modern education.  Modern education is a learner-centered process;  In this educational system, the student is actively involved in the learning process.

 Education is a process that helps in developing the intrinsic and extrinsic qualities of a person and transforms him into a productive member of the society and a public resource.  This process called education is a scientific methodical process.  People's behavior changes through education.  However, it is true that no universal definition or concept of this belief, which is well known all over the world, has been developed yet.

 Therefore, nothing is considered as education.  If what people learn is to be considered as education, it has to come through several conditions, if not fulfilled, that learning cannot be called education.  Before education can be considered as certification, it should be seen whether it will be positive, beneficial for people and society and will help to bring about desired changes for individuals and society or not.

 ☞ What is the goal and purpose of education?

 Just as the concept of education has not taken any definite form, there are also different opinions about the aims and objectives of education.  The goals and objectives of education have changed over the ages.  The goals and objectives of education differ depending on the country, population, faith, customs or needs.  Here are some general objectives of education:

 ☞Educational goals and objectives of education:-

 One of the main goals of education is to acquire knowledge.  It is through the acquisition of knowledge that human skills increase in various aspects.  The development of human thinking is possible only when it acquires knowledge.  Acquiring knowledge improves one's mental as well as practical side.  It is important to emphasize on the conviction of 'real knowledge' rather than limiting knowledge to just knowing.  Socrates, Francis Bacon, Froable, Benjamin Bloom or Rabindranath Tagore, all emphasized on enlightenment.  If it is said that the first and foremost aim and objective of education is to acquire knowledge, then no one can call it wrong.

 ☞Vocational aims and objectives of education:-

 One of the main goals and objectives of modern education in the modern world is to create human resources and develop human resources.  Vocational education has been given separate emphasis since the industrial revolution.  The advent of new technologies, job creation and entry into employment require vocational education.  Vocational education plays a helpful role in meeting the basic needs of people, in the development of society and the country.  Vocational or work-oriented education is termed as the 'main goal of education'.  Although the main aim of human education is enlightenment, it is almost worthless without proper vocational or work-oriented education.