In today’s fast-paced world, where success is often measured in numbers and degrees, we seem to have forgotten the very essence of education. Education has become a race—towards marks, degrees, high-paying jobs, and social validation. But amidst this race, we’ve lost sight of something far more important: the purpose of education itself.
What is the Real Meaning of Education?
True education is not just about memorizing facts or passing exams. It’s about building character, developing critical thinking, learning values, and applying knowledge to improve not just our own lives, but also the world around us. It is meant to shape individuals into thoughtful, responsible, and ethical human beings. Sadly, today education has been reduced to a mere piece of paper—a certificate, a qualification, a checkbox.
A Glorious Past: Nalanda University and India as a Global Guru
We must remember that India was once the beacon of knowledge to the world. Institutions like Nalanda and Takshashila were not just universities, but symbols of intellectual power and human enlightenment. Scholars from across the globe traveled to India to study science, mathematics, medicine, and philosophy. India didn’t just teach how to earn a living—it taught how to live a meaningful life.
India was once a “Vishwa Guru”—a teacher to the world. But today, we are struggling to uphold that legacy. Instead of evolving our education system, we’ve commodified it.
The Modern Student: Where Are We Headed?
Despite access to the internet, smartphones, and AI-powered tools, today’s students are often directionless. Learning has become a chore, and shortcuts are glorified. Education is seen as a burden, not an opportunity.
Students want degrees, not discipline. They want jobs, not knowledge. They want results, but don’t value the process.
And what’s more troubling is that no one wants to become a teacher anymore.
The Decline in Respect for Teachers
Once considered the architects of society, teachers today are undervalued and overburdened. They are expected to do more, with less respect and even less support. In such an environment, why would the youth aspire to enter this noble profession?
If a society disrespects its teachers, how can it ever build great leaders?
The Race for Success – But at What Cost?
Everyone wants to become a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, or a millionaire. Parents push their children into competitive exams from an early age, hoping for a secure future.
But no one says, “Beta, achha insaan bano.”
We have made success synonymous with money, forgetting that true success lies in kindness, empathy, honesty, and service to others. In the process of becoming something, we are forgetting how to be someone—someone with values.
The True Implementation of Education
Education must reflect in our actions. When a student teaches digital skills in a rural area… when a young girl educates her family about online banking… when a boy uses technology to solve real-world problems—that is the true implementation of education.
It’s not about how much you know, but how well you use it for the good of others.
A Final Thought
Education is not a joke. It is not a certificate. It is not a competition.It is the most powerful tool to shape individuals, societies, and nations.
Let’s not turn it into a formality.Let’s bring back its meaning.Let’s inspire our students to learn, not just score.Let’s build humans, not just professionals.
“If we continue to chase only marks, we will produce machines. But if we teach with heart, we will create humanity.”
With hope and commitment to real education,
Dinesh Sharma,
Founder & CEO Parshuram Skills Academy & Hindustan Computer Institute
