Education as an Instrument for Social Change, Essay Example

Education as an instrument of social change

The Greek philosopher Aristotle would say that education is an activity of the State and has the function to lead one into happiness. From this understanding, he concludes that education leads a State into a social and high organized institution that fulfils properly its ends ("Aristotle" 384-322 BC). From this understanding one may conclude that education has good advantages. Yet, it also has its own shortcomings. However, the idea is that, whether in a positive or a negative way, education still has its impacts on the society. This essay is going to shed light on the advantages and shortcomings of education, and shows how it is an instrument for social change

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There is no doubt that education is an intellectual activity that leads to development. A country with no educated people is subjected to ruin. For instance, DRC has no sufficient education. The yearly budget allocated to education is low; hence, there are no educated people to make strong laws; institutions are weak; and, from that, citizens commit many crimes against human beings every day because the laws are not respected. Without education everyone seems to be a law maker and protector. There is no leader. Hence, there is no good governance at all. A country with no educated people has no good policies and no implementations of the policies already set. Corruption, crimes, human rights violation, atrocities, stealing, disobedience to the law, all these facts are social changes due to a lack of education.

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Essay on education and social change

Furthermore, a country with strong institutions base its annual budget to education. No country can have future leaders without education. Without it, there is no industries set, no technology, no developing medicine, no inventions, no creativity, brief, there is no development; for instance, the spread of Ebola and HIV AND AIDS, and many other viruses are due to ignorance. Therefore, technology, social media, medicine, inventions, all these aspects explain a social change in a community because these aspects make citizens feel connected, and united in a globalized world.

However, education does not always give good results. It has now become a tool for stealing elections by harking. Educated people are the ones who teach bad ideologies to middle and poor families. For instance, one cannot talk of stealing elections in big countries such as the United States of America, Russia, France, if there are no high educated persons. The genocide in Rwanda, the civil war in Burundi, the guerillas in Libya, Egypt, Syria, and Ukraine (.) are mostly caused by educated people. Social change within the families such as wars of revolution, riots, and terrorism, are committed by people who received a good education in sciences. The demagogues that the world have had are born of the schools of high educational standards. Education liberates one from the darkness to the light but it can also bring one from the light to the darkness. The global warming the world talks about in the accord of Paris in 2016 is a social change of the world. It is a fruit of educated people.

To conclude, education is good and it also has its shortcomings. It can help one developing and building a community; but also it can help one to destroy its own community. Education liberates but not always in a good way. Educated people live well. Ignorant people do not live well. Education also makes one prosper; but it also makes one ruin one`s own society. Education is the key to strong institution but also is it a way to collapsing an institution.

Essay on education as the perfect instrument for social change

Education is the process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge with an aim of developing powers of reasoning and judgement, preparing people for intellectual life. Basically, it is the process of learning and or facilitating learning. Social change is the variation of the accepted mode of life, whether due to geographical conditions, cultural change or population composition. Education helps perpetuate eternal values, promotes capacity to welcome social change, controls and modifies thoughts of new generations and also creates social awakening.

Education widens our area of knowledge and our scopes of thinking. When people learn new things, their thinking changes. They start viewing issues from a different perspective, which in most cases is positive. For example, on environmental issues, an educated person will see the need to save forests while a person who lacks education will cut down trees without knowing the impact that small act has on the environment.

Education is an instrument of social change

Education enlightens people. It opens our minds and hence enables us to initiate and push for much needed social change, especially in situations where our normal behaviors are harmful to us or to the people or environment around us. It creates awareness against social evils. For example, in most African societies, female genital mutilation was the norm. As harmful as it was, it was still done just because it was the culture of the people. When people were educated on the dangers of the act, most Africans left the practice and started advocating for change and laws against the act. This is a perfect example on how education brings social change.

Education prepares people for social change. It promotes capacity to welcome social change. During the learning process, we get to interact with new concepts and ideas which help to remove our mental reservations on certain issues. With this reservations removed, we start to live and act differently. Years ago, women had no say on certain issues such as politics, religion and education and they were treated as inferior to their male counterparts. Education has therefore empowered women and enlightened men on the importance of gender equality, hence promoting equality among the masses.

Discuss education as an instrument of social change

Through education, we get to interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures hence promoting cohesiveness. It promotes national and international understanding. This is part of the social change process whereby people who initially did not interact with people from other cultures get to interact with those people and learn and appreciate their cultures. For example, education has enabled people from different races to interact and live together peacefully by getting rid of stereotypes. This was not the case years before because of segregation due to color and this is a positive change in the society.

Education cultivates virtues such as teamwork and cooperation which leads to divergent thinking. Teamwork is important in the development of the society since several people working together have a greater chance of coming up with great ideas which when put into practice help shape our society. For instance, in Ancient Greece education brought together several thinkers who in turn came up with great ideas for inventions and public laws which are still applicable in our current society.

Education as an instrument of social change conclusion

In conclusion, education is the major key for social change. Education has been and will always be a big part of social change and it affects our lives daily. It helps us embrace new ideas, discard harmful practices and improve our societies.

Introduction of education as an instrument of social change

I believe that education is an instrument for social change well, with a few caveats. In order for education to be a proactive instrument for social change, it must be used. Before it can be used, it must be acquired. Once it is acquired, its use depends solely on the individual.

There is a famous aphorism, commonly seen painted as part of school murals or printed on educational posters, that states that Knowledge is power.

Then there are variations of a polar maxim, from different sources, that read, Knowledge is only potential power, Just knowing is not enough, or Knowledge isn`t power until it is applied. These imply a sagacious consensus that results are needed and must be reflected in peoples` lives. In order for that knowledge to really count, it must make an impact. Say for example a king knows how to devise an irrigation system that could provide clean water to all the homes in his country. What use is his knowledge when it exists only in his mind? If he carries out that irrigation system and actually provides clean water to his people, he may not only earn respect from his people but also loyalty in fighting for his future causes; he won`t even have to ask for it!

Role of education as an instrument of social change

The education I speak of is more so of an individualistic, personal development within; in accordance to academia whether it be literature, philosophy, mathematics, social and physical sciences, art, music, and so forth; not constrained to any one country`s educational agenda, but a globally informed perspective. I believe that a well-rounded individual who is continually working on an emotional, mental, physical, spiritual balance within his/herself, who understands that learning is a continual process of life, is then truly capable of being a real instrument for social change. The individual who strives to learn is undoubtedly an outstanding one with immense potential to make a difference and who cannot be stopped. The acquisition of knowledge in all forms will open possibilities to that individual to dine with intellects and converse with fools. That hunger to learn will carry that individual from impoverished, inner-city projects to middle-class suburbs to wealthy communities in which he/she will further acquire the knowledge of ambassadorial tact experiences needed to reflect upon true social change.

Even with that knowledge, education can only become an instrument for social change if it moves the individual to learn empathy by accepting reality, not just tolerating it. Those who realize and truly understand his/her strive to establish a dream or accomplish a goal and know it to be a privilege are the ones, who I would argue, to be the vehicles of social change. The juxtapositions of life and reality can be overwhelming as one may find it difficult to read about 65.5 million displaced refugees around the world, while then forced to think about Kim Kardashian`s 14.4 million net profit from her makeup line. Truly accepting reality brings peace of mind and a personal responsibility towards righteousness, whether it be small, day-to-day choices when dealing with the petty neighbor upstairs or a larger commitment like enrolling in legal studies to give back to the communities that have given to you.

Ceaseless striking of a balance within ourselves is active application of the power of knowledge. What we then choose to do with our individual experiences and acquired knowledge is the tipping point towards collective, social change.

Education as an instrument of social change means

Wake up my daughter; don`t you have class today? he whispered in my ears early in the morning; Hello father, we do not have classes on Sundays: I replied enthusiastically. Later in the evening, my father told me great words that I won`t ever forget: Listen to me my child; I didn`t earn any education`s degree; I don`t even know how to write my name; I was trained to be a farmer since my childhood but I surely know one gold secret for positive change and success that our village is expecting; get totally involved into your studies and you will discover that hidden secret in you through education; if your school exclude Sundays` classes, include them into your own improvement. I finally discovered that education is the most powerful key of development that each society needs.

In 1970s, our former president Michel Micombero introduced ethnical conflicts by prioritizing the eradication of all educated people because he knew that they might be the ones who could take his place a certain day and judge him for all his exactions committed. My grandfather was among the Micombero`s soldiers who killed those educated people; he regretted those evil deeds his entire life. Before his dead, he told to my father these words of farewell: Don`t ever repeat my mistakes son; the only thing that will save our country from tyranny is education; I didn`t raise you properly, I should`ve been a good father for you but promise that you will make sure that my grandchildren taste the savor of education forevermore.

Explain in detail that education as an instrument of social change

Nowadays, what I see in my society is awaked souls and I am one of them; I am a proof of what the positive power of education can do because of the savor of it that my father helped me to taste. I might be plowing the fields listening to the tyrants` songs encouraging us to kill each other; I might be among the oppressors` shoulders who want conflicts and troubles as paths of their own interest; I might be another hand plunged in the blood of ethnic conflicts; I might be another uneducated citizen who believes that the law of the strongest is always the best; I might be another more ignorant.

For now, we, the youth tasting the savor of education have changed our mentality; we aim to empower our skills and abilities so that to create innovative projects which will contribute in the eradication of poverty. We don`t longer think like our ancestors who used to believe that any conflict must be resolved through fights; we have learned that we are the rock of positive change and integrity, that any idea withdrawn from education will always ensure the sustainability of development in any field; we have been taught that no one will make positive change in our societies except ourselves.

Conclusion of education as an instrument of social change

Ask me now if education is an instrument for social change; I would state firmly that it is more than an instrument; it`s the most powerful key of enlightenment that each society needs for great achievements. I used to question my father about the meaning of Nelson Mandela`s quote: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world; I didn`t know that one day I will be the author of such statements about education. The empowerment of education is the empowerment of the youth; and we, the youths are the future leaders that our societies are waiting for amazing impacts that our knowledge, skills and abilities acquired and improved will make.

Discuss how education be used as a medium of social change

I attended public middle school and high school in Northern Virginia in the largest and most diverse public school system in the State. Three thousand students attended T.C. Williams High School (made famous in the movie Remember the Titans) in grades 10-12, with only 20% of us being white or Caucasian. African American and Hispanic students accounted for roughly 60% of the student body. The majority of students came from low-income backgrounds. This was an uneasy mix. Issues with fighting and drugs were common at the school, and more often involved those students of color. The groups were divided. The racial divide was also evident in AP or honors-level courses, with the majority of the students in those classes being white. I discovered there was a mentality among many students that school did not matter, and I found it hard to understand. It was clear that the students who were most disenchanted with school often engaged in criminal behavior, getting into trouble with the law and creating major obstacles in life. As my schooling continued, I discovered that race was not a determining factor. It appeared that students from low-income backgrounds and lower social class were those disproportionately affected by problemsno matter their race. A drug and crime culture lured those disenchanted students out of school and into a cycle of crime and immobility in society. I befriended many people that came from this background, and found that they were no different from me. Many were incredibly smart and funny, and had wisdom that I admired. Yet several of them ended up in jail before graduation and I asked myself, why? Where does this apathy and allure of criminality come from? Most importantly, how do we change it?

Essay on social change

Another memory I have from middle school was talking to a Latino student when I brought the prospect of that person going to college. The individual`s response was, Since when do you see a spick in college? The mentality was there from such a young age that it is frightening.

The experiences I had in high school and middle school left a strong impression on me. I contemplated how changes to our society could make a positive impact on low-income students, and focusing on education is one of the factors I believe would have the strongest impact. Specifically, focusing on employing the best possible teachers to impress upon at-risk students from low-income areas at a young age the importance of obtaining an education. Doing so will help to direct those at-risk students away from the risks and negative mentally I witnessed during middle and high school. Knowledge is viral, and the power of knowledge is substantial. Using knowledge through education to attack poverty will help to reduce poverty, crime, and reliance on the government, which in turn will lower the expenditure of tax dollars. Doing so comes back to molding and recruiting the best teachers to focus on the most vulnerable demographics of students. By applying our focus there as a country and a society, we can help to achieve social change through education.

Education for all essay

We, human beings, are social animals. Since times immemorial, we have been spontaneously oriented towards each other and our surroundings. This orientation developed to such an extent that the Stone Age Man learned to develop families and with time, it spiraled to building societies, citadels and great civilizations. This is, in fact, the most significant aspect that sets us apart from all other creations on the face of the earth.

What do you think makes us so different from the Neanderthals? One of the reasons that we have evolved to be the most intelligent species on Earth might be the fact that we have an innate curiosity to know about the environment we live in and learn from it. Over the centuries, this learning has been methodized and coined the term `Education` in a formal context.

Relationship between education and social change

Change is the only constant. Social change refers to a change in the way a substantial part of the society thinks or behaves. These changes are bound to happen, whether we want them or not. Education, however, decides the extent and direction in which the changes take place.

In the modern society, education seems to have lost its true essence. Children grow up behind locked concrete walls of their classrooms in a quest to win the never ending rat race. They compete with each other in often unhealthy ways, making them susceptible to jealousy, self-worthlessness, depression and a myriad of other negative emotions. These children grow up to be leaders of the society; leaders who are less concerned about contributing to the progress of society and more worried about keeping their pockets filled.

Relation between education and social change

If we wish to see a positive change in the world, our education system needs to be amended. Education must not simply be viewed as means of employment and earning a livelihood. It should be such that it teaches people `how to think` rather than `what to think`; it must allow them to distinguish right from wrong without any prejudices.

Illiterates lack rationality of mind and they tend to make decisions based on religious beliefs, superstitions and orthodoxy. They accept the system as it is without questioning it because they merely accept it as fate. It is a noteworthy fact that undeveloped countries are mostly the ones where education is not predominant. The politicians do not stress on spreading education in rural areas so that the youth remain in the dark shadow of ignorance. Under such conditions, the backward sections of the society are unaware of their rights and do not question the circumstances they are living in. This allows the government to continue its authoritarian regime without any resistance from the people.

If you want to destroy a nation, kill all its teachers and the nation will crumble into dust in less than a generation`s time. Starting from the industrial revolution to overcoming apartheid, all these transitions that changed the fate of mankind can be rightfully attributed to education. Education does not simply reflect the present condition of the society. In fact, it initiates the changes that are to come and acts as a harbinger of the future. It is a tool to empower the human race which would otherwise be non-existent in this vast expanse called Universe.

Relationship between social change and education

Social change is necessary to be able to properly evolve as a society that represents equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There are many aspects of life that are negatively impacting positive social change, but it takes education to be a vital instrument for proper social change. I want to make an impact on the lives of others and education is vital in doing so.

I am aspiring to become a lawyer one day to help make a drastic change in the justice system: criminally, financially, mentally, etc. Even with the amendments and laws in place, there are still people being treated unfairly every day. As an African American, LGBTQ woman, I have faced many challenges, but I want to be someone to help protect and defend others who struggle to overcome those challenges. As an African American I have encountered multiple accounts of racist slurs towards my heritage, comments about my natural hair, and sly remarks regarding my body shape. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I have experienced unnecessary stares as I have walked holding hands with my partner, gossiping messages to my parents, and unfair treatment in the Christian community, even though I am a Christian myself. As a woman, especially an African American woman, white-male privilege is constantly exemplified in my daily life, despite the many attributes that have demonstrated my skills exceeding expectations in comparison to that of my male peer.

Role of education in creating social change

I have witnessed discrimination and mistreatment to myself and my peers all of my life, but I will play a part in bringing that discrimination and mistreatment to an end. The law states that all men are created equal, but unfortunately people are constantly having to be defended because someone did not agree with that statement. There are continuously being policies developed disregarding equality, despite the law claiming affirmative action is in place, but it takes educated individuals to make a change. Developing the necessary tools from education to exemplify in my actions in the world, will assist my ability to make a change. For me, studying sociology is much deeper than just getting a degree. I am studying to learn why people act as they do, based on their childhood, community, peers, and interactions with society so that I can properly represent each individual group as a lawyer one day. I have to be educated in order to succeed in that representation. In order to stand for every specific individual in the law, I have to continue my studies of the law, in law school one day, and of each individual through sociology, as I continue working towards my undergraduate degree. I am continuing to pursue my education because I intend to make a change.

My ability to wake up and smell the coffee of what is actually happening in the world is constantly intensified as I continue my education. Unfortunately, I cannot do it on my own. I can work hard and continue to strive as a student, but without finances, I am limited in the opportunities to continue my education. I intend to make a change and this scholarship will play a large part in my ability to do so. Any amount of scholarship money is helpful towards my education and I am appreciative of every amount that I am able to receive. I have worked hard from elementary to middle to high school to college to be able to reach my ultimate career goal. With the help of the scholarship committee, this scholarship would assist my career and life aspirations.