(B)

Education gives us knowledge and a set of abilities to function meaningfully in life, such as the ability to decide things rationally and make the right choices. As we learn how to read, write and do the basic operations of arithmetic, we gain a degree of self confidence. We learn to think for ourselves and articulate our thoughts we pick up skills to communicate with others and manage our affairs well. Education helps us think independently and make our own opinions. As we know more about the world, we appreciate the good things it offers us but also become critical of the deviations from the values it imparts and the rise of hatred or conflict that follows. The first thing education does is to give us an awareness about ourselves which leads to the development of our personality. As we begin school, we feel the need to belong to the class and make friends. We then expand our sense of belonging to include the school at large, our community and finally our country. Education thus prepares every child to become an active member of the community and work for its welfare. Education, is believed, releases our potentials and our inner strengths. It sharpens our intellect and develops our creativity. As we are taught to reason well and find solutions to the problems of life, we become productive members of society. Education by definition is progressive and liberal, teaching us to respect human diversity and cultural and religious differences. If all of us practice these values in life, the world becomes a much happier place.

Education also fosters critical thinking and provides us a set of competencies including life skills that enable us to become competitive even in the most challenging of circumstances. Education also teaches us to appreciate beauty and the bounties of nature.

School, however, is not the only place where a child gets education. A Bangla poem tells us that nature can be our best teacher. Here are a couple of lives from the poem in English translation:

The sky has taught me to be liberal.

The wind has given me the motto to be industrious.

It we can make nature our friend, philosopher and guide, we can learn lessons about life that, combined with what our schools teach us, will prepare us for the future.