The Chinese philosopher, Confucius, said that education is a life-long process and it continues from womb to tomb. Throughout, the emphasis has always been on the development of the human personality. Education must never transform us into robots. Neither should it be merely to provide us with jobs. Its main objective is to act as an eye-opener, to magnetize our potentials, to stir our imagination and to develop in us a critical mind.

Nowadays, in our technological society, education is linked with employment opportunities. Schools have become factories to provide society?s needs. They act as a form of social control with fragmentation of the labour market. Though there is nothing wrong with this, an overemphasis on this issue destroys the entire purpose of education. The main objective of education is not merely to impart knowledge or to encourage parrot-learning, foregoing good manners and social etiquette. It goes beyond that and the enrichment of the individual must be its main target. It should not limit itself only to material knowledge but it should aim at disseminating the moral and cultural inheritance of man. Since the introduction of free education in 1976, education has transformed our society horizontally and vertically. It has generated social mobility and has broken certain job-monopolies. The gates of certain institutions have been flung open with the advent of democratisation in education. A silent social revolution has resulted. The days of a privileged few are no more: rich and poor, town-dweller and villager, can get access to education and gradually the elitist monopoly of education has been dismantled. Who does not remember the hard times of the early sixties when, at the end of the month, half of the class was empty because parents could not afford to pay the school fees for their wards, although it was only Rs 10./= (in those days a big sum). The non-compliant pupils were humiliatingly sent home. Private colleges could not pay their staff. It was modern slavery. Now teachers from private institutions can voice out their opinions or even stage a sit-in or a strike. But, in the olden days, they were subjugated to the shackles of domination and fear.

One of the main objectives of education is to turn an individual into an ideal citizen of tomorrow. Education has become a powerful tool to surmount certain national obstacles. Money spent on education is money invested but not wasted.

Philip LI CHING HUM