Economic roles or benefits of education
MUCH of the economic benefits of education accrues to individuals and their families. For members of all demographic groups, average earnings increase measurably with higher levels of education. Over their working lives, typical university graduates earn about 73 per cent more than typical high school graduates, and those with advanced degrees earn two or three times as much as high school graduates. More educated people are less likely to be unemployed and less likely to live in poverty. These economic returns make financing education a good investment. This explains why most parents who are aware of this fact will go to great lengths to give their children the best of education.
However, Society as a whole also enjoys a financial return on the investment in education. In addition to widespread productivity increases, the higher earnings of educated workers generate higher tax payments at the local, state and federal levels. Because the individual outcomes affect others, it is not possible to neatly separate the benefits to individuals from those shared by society as a whole. For example, all workers benefit from the increased productivity of their co-workers, and unemployment causes the damage to those who are out of a job, but also results in a loss to the entire economy.
In addition to the economic return to individuals and to society as a whole, education improves quality of life in a variety of other ways, only some of which can be easily quantified. Moreover, the economic advantages already mentioned have broader implications. For example, in addition to increasing material standards of living, reduced poverty improves the overall well-being of the population, and the psychological implications of unemployment are significant. In addition, adults with higher levels of education are more likely to engage in organized volunteer work, to vote, and to donate blood, they are more likely to be in good health and less likely to smoke; and they are less likely to be incarcerated. The young children of adults with higher level of education are read to more frequently than other children; they have higher cognitive skill levels and better concentration than other children. All of those areas affect social expenditures, in addition to general well-being.
Through education professionals have been trained in different fields. This is why we have scientists, economists, bankers, engineers, financiers etc. This diversity has allowed for the development of mankind on a gigantic scale. Skyscrapers are now a common sight in most cities of the world. In times past these were deemed impossible. In the sciences there have been numerous breakthroughs. Man has been to the moon and is currently exploring the possibility of going even further. The computer which brought about a revolution in the way we do everything as humans has continued to grow smaller but yet more powerful. Some decades back man recorded the first organ transplant thereby bringing hope to persons suffering with organ diseases which ailments used to carry with them a certainty of death.
Education and effects on professions
All learning is usually tailored towards the achievement of some goal. In most cases people seek qualifications which would qualify them as Professionals in one field of human endeavour or the other. This is why we have Lawyers, Doctors, Engineers, Pilots etc. However what is unknown to many is that aside from the economic benefit of these qualifications to the holders and the society there is also a collateral advantage in the form of the manner in which training in these fields shape and mould the outlook of their practitioners to life.
Doctors are trained to be humane. They are trained to save lives and as a matter of fact swear to the Hippocratic Oath at the point of qualification and acceptance to practice medicine. By this oath, Doctors and medical practitioners are sworn to uphold the sanctity of life. Can it really be contested that this oath does not have any effect on the persons who have sworn to it? I believe that many physicians continue to hold themselves bound by this oath and by so doing have been able to contribute in great measures to human development.
Lawyers on their part are trained to uphold the law. A lawyer is not expected to break the law. The profession itself is guided by certain rules of professional conduct which are designed to protect the sanctity of the law and aid the due administration of justice whilst at the same time ensuring that legal practitioners are men and women of impeccable character. Though this may not always be the case, it cannot be disputed that the majority of legal practitioners remain honest, hardworking and morally upright persons who continue to contribute their quota to the development of mankind. Great leaders such as Mahatma Ghandi, Robert Kennedy and Nelson Mandela all trained as lawyers.
Education and political development
Nigeria has since independence been plagued with a number of problems ranging from crime, corruption, electoral malpractices etc. Many of these problems have been correctly blamed on poor leadership and rightly too the solution has always been identified as good leadership. Thus, many Nigerians see the evolution of a strong political system as the major way out of the political, social and economic doldrums in which Nigeria has found itself. However, a major factor which to my mind has a role to play in the country’s political fortunes is education.
The violence which erupted in certain parts of Nigeria after the 2011 Presidential elections is a pointer to the fact that Nigeria still needs to do more in the area of education. The ease with which disgruntled politicians were able to manipulate the ignorance and illiteracy of several thousands to their own destructive ends is indeed serious reason for concern. A lot of persons who engaged in the violence were falsely led to believe that the victory of their preferred candidate at their own polling unit or indeed ward, local government or state was sufficient to guarantee victory all over the federation. They failed to realize that in order to be declared the winner of the Presidential election, a candidate is expected to garner, aside from the majority of votes cast, a certain percentage of the votes across several states. However, with the level of illiteracy that still pervades many parts of Nigeria, it was easy for some Politicians to instigate the violence with the misinformation that some Muslims in the southern parts of the Country were not allowed to vote.
Even on Election Day lack of education plays a part in the acts of brigandage such as ballot box stuffing, ballot box snatching and intimidation of voters which occur. Some Nigerians are always happy to sell their votes for a pittance in the belief that it is their share of the “national cake”. Thus when eventually elected the Politician who must have spent a fortune to procure votes will hardly feel any sense of duty or obligation to the people he was meant to serve. However, education has been shown to address issues such as these.
At a time in Nigeria and indeed in other parts of the world, women were denied the right to vote. However, with enlightenment women were able to get the much-desired change. Between 1861-1865 the American Civil War was fought on the issue of slavery. Whilst some Southern States held on their principles that Slavery was right, the States in the West opposed slavery and pushed for its abolition. The war claimed over 600,000 lives on both sides. The defeat of the South effectively led to the abolition of slavery on the planet. However, I remain sceptical whether even without the civil war slavery as a concept would have remained in force for much longer giving the high rate of enlightenment which subsequently swept the globe in the latter part of the 19th Century and well into the 20th Century. Without the Civil War, would the proponents of slavery not eventually have found it (slavery) to be anachronistic?
The recent political changes otherwise known as the Arab Spring which swept many despots away from political power is yet another example of the effect which education can have on political development. I recall viewing several interviews conducted by the Cable News Network (CNN) with some of the protesters in the demonstrations in Egypt. I found several of the protesters to be well-educated and articulate. They eloquently discussed the ideas which had brought about the demonstrations and their dream for democratic government in Egypt. It was clear to see that some of them had even been educated in places such as the United States of America and Europe.
So it cannot be disputed that education can bring about political development. Here in Nigeria, it will enable the voter to exercise his voting rights in a more enlightened manner while at the same time diminishing the ranks of persons whom the unscrupulous politician would have recruited as thugs for his nefarious activities.
To be continued…
AARE AFE BABALOLA, OFR, CON, SAN, LL.D (Lond.), etc.
READ ALSO: The role of education in human development (3)
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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