Education is not a small scale responsibility, which could be performed by any organization other than state. So education is one of the prime responsibilities and the main function of a state. Without providing education to its citizens, a state can not survive for longer duration. Education is very important agent of social, political, economic and ideological change in a society. That’s why it is said that education and state are the two sides of same coin.
Education & Welfare State
Welfare state is defined a state which is politically, economically and military stable, and provide its citizens all the basic amenities of life on minimum cost. Besides other amenities education is the basic one on the basis of which a state becomes strong in all areas.
The following discussion will help us to understand the importance of education for the people, and the state responsibilities to provide education.
1. Education Preserves Culture & Tradition
If a state wants to preserve it culture and transfer it to the next generation. That important job can only be done through education. It is said to preserve tradition & culture that has to be taught to the new generation, because preservation of culture is natural instinct of any nation. Look at the world nations who preserve their culture through foundation of education on cultural basis. Look at Indian education system that is based upon Indian culture, and the centuries old values are transmitted to the new generation.
2. Education as Agent of Social Change
Education is considered one of the most important and long lasting agents of social change. If a state wants to root out a bad cultural traits or values, or to mould the public opinion on specific issue, various materials in curriculum are added in order to get the desired goals. For example in General Pervaiz military regime, various topics on moderation, terrorism and Jehad were included in Pak-Studies and other courses to mould the mind of young ones towards those philosophies in the contemporary world. So education was & is being used as agent of social change.
3. Education & Industrial Development
This is very important fact that without education no country can do industrial development. That’s why the back bone of all the industrially developed nation is education. The whole research, technical skill, scholars and scientists are coming from their educational institutions. So every state wants that its education system to be well developed and modern one in order to have strong base for industrial progress. That’s why on public and private levels various famous universities are working to provide skilled human resource for the growing industrial and services basis for Pakistan. Especially services industry which generates huge foreign exchange for a country, needs educated people. Look at Singapore, where the population is very small than Pakistan, but its national income is 300 times more than Pakistan. That is due to 100% literacy rate and technical skill.
4. Educational & Political Development
Political development without education is not possible. Because education enables the masses to know about the rights and duties towards state, to be aware about the political parties manifestos, to be well informed about the political developments, and ultimately make a decisive decision in general elections by casting votes. So the proper use of votes, being a decisive factor can not be possible without education.
5. Education & Morality
Morality which is the most basic for having decent human relations is only possible through education. As various religious schools have said that education enables individuals to make distinction between right and bad conduct and observe the moral values so the social and the ethical fabric of a society is not disturbed. So morality without education is not possible. In order to make citizens moral, state stresses upon the moral basis of education.
6. Education & responsible citizens
Education main aim, before a state, is to have responsible citizens. The following are the basic qualities which state wants in its citizens:
- Moral soundness
- Emotional soundness
- Psychological soundness
- Balance personality
- Sense of loyalty to the state
- A democratic spirit
- Professionalism
The above discussion shows that education and state are the two sides of the same coin. Because both are important for each other.
Evaluation
The education system must be the state responsibility because state has vast resources which could be utilized for that basic and vital social purpose. A state must do the following arrangements for providing education for its citizens.
- Education should be universal and free of cost, especially to degree level.
- Education must be cheap so that the poor also get benefits from that.
- The educational system must be uniformed one. There must not be stratified education for various groups in society.
- The maximum stress be given to technical education and various schools / institutions must be opened on larger scale, especially in countries like Pakistan.
- Maximum public and private libraries must be established and facilitated in order to provide best quality books to the readers and students.
- Information technology should be given due consideration because now-a-days the whole transaction correspondence is done through internet & computer.