Article - Education – A Basic Human Right, Authoress - Shah Jehan Ashrafi (Mauritius/Canada )

Education – A Basic Human Right

Shah Jehan Ashrafi

Education is a tool for self-development that leads to cultural and societal reform. Educating an individual means educating the masses and bringing development at various levels throughout the country. Educating one person may seem like a drop in the sea, but this single drop is always part of the vast ocean. In fact, this is what makes the ocean vast. The whole cannot become complete on its own without considering the parts that form it.

Education transforms a human being for the better, helping them become independent, capable of problem-solving, and empowered to change things around them. Thus, personal growth always leads to societal and universal progress. As the world becomes a global village, it is important to realize the connection between the self and the other. Education bridges this connection and provides us with the essential knowledge to distinguish between selfish and selfless agendas.

Self-actualization is an important gift that comes through knowledge. In modern times, we talk a lot about meditation and self-care to understand that we must first discover our self-worth in order to progress and be beneficial to our family, friends, society, and country. In educational terms, self-actualization is a psychological concept that helps us develop our full potential and become the best versions of ourselves. The concept of self-actualization was coined by Kurt Goldstein and later popularized by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, who described it as the highest stage of personal growth.

However, self-actualization remains a luxury when basic needs like food, water, shelter, air, and warmth are unattainable for some people. If we talk about providing the highest level of education to people and children, it is essential first to ensure that their basic needs are met. When hunger, poor shelter, and pollution affect people in a certain country or region, it becomes difficult to provide them with the self-awareness, self-fulfilment, and peak experiences that education can bring.

At the same time, it is important to inspire poverty-stricken people with examples of those who rose above hardship — such as Andrew Carnegie, Marie Curie, Mary Leakey, Malala Yousafzai, Howard Schultz, and Oprah Winfrey — all of whom faced poverty before achieving prosperity and recognition. Another factor that leads to self-awareness and personal growth is security. Safety is often absent from countries where war is constant, but can education be stopped in countries torn by conflict? On the contrary, education can become a source of resilience and support in hard times.

To follow Paulo Freire’s educational philosophy, it is important to understand that education is a tool of liberation rather than oppression for learners. Thus, education can become a weapon to fight distress and achieve liberation by finding ways and methods to solve problems. Born in 1921, the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire published one of his most famous books, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in 1968. In this book, Freire proposes a dialogical approach in which students and teachers learn together as active participants. In this way, students are encouraged to take part in the learning process and to question rather than view the teacher as a master. This approach develops critical thinking—a tool that is essential for problem-solving in the modern world and for fighting social injustices. Freire also encourages praxis, the process of reflection followed by action, which serves as a game changer in oppressive systems.

Education is empowerment in many ways. It is a lifelong learning process that provides individuals with the skills to cope with real-life and problematic situations. It helps people develop strong relationships with others and acts as a weapon in times of oppression. Education cultivates several skills in human beings, especially critical thinking, which helps individuals make decisions and find effective solutions to problems.

©® Shah Jehan Ashrafi

Canada