Becoming A Responsible Citizen: Can Education Help?

Every citizen has duties and responsibilities which they have to fulfill in a suitable manner. 

Education builds the character of a citizen. Education doesn’t mean just to study course books but its actual meaning is to understand the lessons of the book. Education should not be considered complete until it is practiced. So besides studying and understanding, applying the lessons of books in our daily life is very important. Education is very important in making a responsible citizen. Education is helpful in many ways. An educated person knows about his responsibilities and rights well. 

As we are students, we know how education helps in becoming a good and responsible citizen. Only an educated person is able to eliminate social crimes such as firing at different festivals etc. Education helps the citizens to select an able candidate who will put the nation on the right path. With the help of education we know that cleanliness is very important for the health of people. An illiterate person doesn’t know the importance of cleanliness. Only an educated person will know that it is our responsibility as a citizen to keep our country and city clean. 
                                          As it is said: 
              “White paper and youth can take any color”. 

Therefore we should educate our youth in the right manner. Only then they will be able to become responsible citizens. We should also keep in mind that men and women should be educated equally. 
                                                      As it is said: 
         
                      “Women hold up half of the sky at the same height as “men.”

Thus, education should be imparted equally to men and women to develop a healthy society as they take equal part in the progress of the country. 

                                           A responsible citizen is one who helps his fellow citizens in every part of life and also protects the rights of his fellows. He doesn’t think like a common man and should be ready to protect his state when needed. As we discussed above he doesn’t think of anyone as inferior or himself superior and obeys the laws implemented by the government. Every developing country develops laws of education. 
Education can help a common man to become a responsible man but how? 

When a child is going through adolescence, he needs to be nurtured well because his attitude in life would be based upon how well he is nurtured. In school, Women Studies should be taught with other subjects The government should construct more educational institutions and should also hire trained teachers. 
                                The word “education” means knowledge, training, ability or instructions. 

Educating is the imparting and acquiring of knowledge, especially at a school or a similar institution. After all, what is education, but a process by which a person begins to learn how to read? It gives us knowledge which is shown in abilities gained through education. It gives us training and instructions in a particular subject, for example, health etc. One who gives education is called an education or instructor. It is a very vast topic: “can education help becoming a responsible citizen?” Until and unless a person gains knowledge about the surroundings, he can not be defined as good or bad. 
Education plays an important role for becoming a responsible citizen. 
                                         
Quaid-e-Azam said: 

“Education is a matter of life and death for Pakistan. The world is progressing so rapidly not only shall we be left behind others but many will be wiped out altogether.” (Sep.26, 1947, Karachi)

Quaid-e-Azam’s quote tells us about the importance of education for a Pakistani. Education is the wealth of a nation, needed to become successful. 

“God gives dignity and makes high in rank those of you who believe, and those who’re given knowledge.” 
Man is the central figure of the universe. When he is equipped with knowledge, he proves to be a wonder. Knowledge strengthens our beliefs. Knowledge of all kinds that is beneficial to humanity should be acquired with zeal. 

It has been beautifully summed up in the Holy Quran: 


 “In the creation of heaven and the earth, in the alternations of day and night, in the ships that sail and benefit the men, in the clouds, in the rain ---- there are signs for those who think, understand and believe.” 

Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) laid great stress on seeking knowledge. He raised the degree of learning seventy times higher than prayers. He declared that the faith of a person who pays respect to another for his wealth and not for education as wrong. Wealth has to be protected whereas education protects man. There is no end to the supply of knowledge that can be stored in a mind. God created the universe to serve as a manifestation of His light. He brought into existence man and gave him the will to choose between good and evil. Allah has given man the freedom to choose the path he desires. He has put forth before man, options of good and evil. It is for man to choose the right path. The path of those on whom Allah has showered his blessings and not for those who go around His wrath. Nothing in this universe has been created without any purpose. Everything has a purpose and meaning in it for man to understand and admire Allah.

For a thousand years, the Muslims were the torch bearers of education. This was a glorious achievement. The Muslims preserved the entire ancient heritage and then passed it on to modern European with their own great contributions. Islam was a dominant force in Spain for about eight hundred years. The modern European civilization which dominates the world today owes a great deal to Islam. Great universities were developed in the Muslim world particularly in Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Spain. The light of these universities shone beyond the Muslim world. It drew students and scholars of all religions from east and west that came to learn the great disciplines taught in these universities. There are many shining personalities, for example Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal, Fatima Jinnah, Sir Sayyed Ahmad Khan etc. who became what they had aspired for by education that was not only gained from school, but from staying home too. With access to curriculums via internet and with the proliferation of curriculum through commercially produced books, auto-tapes, Cds, and web sites, home schooling has become a realistic option for many parents who are willing to invest their own time educating their child. It is a movement that yet has not peaked.  

“Education has for its object the formation of character.” British Philosopher (1820-1903) 

An educated person must obey the following things to become a responsible person: An educated person should not only be kind with human beings but with animals too. Kindness benefits both the giver and the taker. Kind words and kind deeds are a sure way of winning Lord’s grace. The best and easiest way of pleasing God is to serve mankind by wiping the tears of others who are in grief and sorrow. We can serve humanity through kind words of comfort, by cheering the depressed. The “WWF” is a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. A universal law prevents killing and prevents animals from being hunted for personal use. This shows the concern of society for protecting animals from the cruelty of man.

 Little deeds of kindness, 
Little words of love, 
Make this earth an Eden, 
Like the heaven above. 

An educated person should tell others when they are wrong. He should forbid others when he sees them doing wrong deeds. For example, he can use his knowledge to give good suggestions to any person, when he is in great difficulty because a 

                      “friend in need is a friend indeed”. 

 Education gives us the great benefit of knowing the teachings of the Holy Quran. If we know how to read we can know the meanings of the Holy Quran and what Allah has said. We know that in the Holy Quran, Allah has repeatedly directed and encouraged people to ponder on and investigate thoughtfully the happenings in this universe. He has also emphasized to pay attention to the study of natural phenomena, the physical and biological principles and interpret them as Allah’s manifestation. When we read about Islam, we know many things, which are good for our present life and the life after death. But we can be successful only when we take these preaching practically:
 the five pillars of Islam are 
testimony, prayers, fasting, giving alms, pilgrimage. 

In Islam we know about the life of greatest reformer and preacher of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who spread the knowledge of love, peace and forgiveness for every one. After getting this precious knowledge we can spread it to others and play a very important role as a good citizen. It is a sad fact of modern life that in big cities, thousands of men, women and children die every year in road accidents and a number of those who are injured, are crippled for life. It is really very tragic. The traffic accidents are the fault* of those people who do not notice what is going on around them and who do not care for their fellow human beings. Some one may walk on the road without looking around and be hit by a motor cycle. 

A cyclist may try and turn right from the left traffic lane and be knocked over by a minibus. Children may be playing in a busy street and not be aware of a fast approaching car. As soon as the person leaves his home he is at a risk. To avoid such incidents, a responsible citizen is careful about what is going on around him and obeys traffic rules and regulations and does not drive at great speed. An educated person is never dependent on others. His knowledge can never be snatched nor be lost or stolen by any thief. He can get better employment opportunities, thus he will get more income and expenses will be managed properly. A tremendous increase in pollution can be seen in today’s environment. Shopping bags are flying here and there on the streets, piles of garbage can be seen on the road side and many uneducated people throw waste materials on the streets. Uncivilized children do not keep their environment clean. Only an educated person has an eye on these issues and plays a key role in fighting with this monster of pollution. He tries his best to control the flood of pollution which has not only captured our streets, colonies or schools but the entire country. 
Our Prophet Muhammad Said: 

                             “Cleanness is half of faith” 

An educated person by nature is an admirer of truth  and reality and has the ability to fight against people such as leaders of a nation. 

                                    It is said: 

“The demise of states comes when leaders only use superficial words and do not penetrate or go deeply into the souls of the people.” 

This means that the leaders of a state like to hear people praise them. They love to hear good things said about them. People use superficial words to praise them. As years pass by, leaders become used to this kind of attitude. They do not look deep into the souls of others and cannot understand their feelings. They do not like to hear anything said against them even if it is true. States ruled by such people do not flourish well. They do not progress and come to a downfall. An educated person always speaks the truth about others when they are wrong, so that they may correct them selves. In this manner, an educated person plays his role for the flourishing of the state. These were the characteristics of an educated human being. If we also want to become responsible citizens, then we have to adopt these good qualities. It is one way to win God’s grace. 

The word 'education' has Greek roots. 
Ancient philosopher Aristotle defines education as 

                 “a process necessary for the creation of a sound mind in a sound body.” 

Education is a process of developing a human being into a person who is reasonably informed about the world in which he lives. This enables him to model his life according to the aims and objectives set forth by the cultural and ideological entity of which he or she is a member and tells him about his responsibilities to make him punctual and to balance his life. 

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) Said:

                  “And acquire knowledge from cradle to grave.” 

Education is the fundamental factor in the process of human development. The importance of education in the process of nation building and economic prosperity can not be denied. 
The famous Greek philosopher Plato, while emphasizing the need and importance of education, said: 

                “Education brings light to human mind and eye.”

There is no denying the fact that uneducated and illiterate people cannot perform their duties, national as well as personal, in a proper and befitting manner. The success of democracy, the most popular system of government in modern times, largely depends on education. Every civilized society is desirous of progress in the modern age, gives top most priority to the acquisition of knowledge and spends huge amounts on education in order to curb and eradicate ignorance. Educated people are the source of strength for the state, for they can effectively contribute towards the development and progress of society. They can ably help and assist the state in achieving the desired goals of a welfare state.
 It is imperative that education should be imparted in view of the Islamic ideals in order to enable them to fully understand their social and political commitments. It is also essential to train the young generation in a way as to inculcate national spirit in them so that they should always prefer national interests over personal motives. The technical and professional education should be emphasized in order to prepare the youth to take on the national responsibilities. The educational system should therefore be built upwards from the foundations so as to reflect national aspirations and goals. Improvement in the education system is not being implemented suitably so as to develop a proper understanding among the people for solving the monster problems of over population, inequality, unemployment and corruption. Only the masses (the common people) with suitable education can produce national leaders to take the country to the heights of success that it deserves. It is commonly known now that our  education system is not functioning well and cannot be compared favorably with the education system of the developed countries. 

Most of the students in our schools and colleges are not receiving quality education with the result that most of them are neither able nor wise after the completion of their studies. How many of our highly qualified people can write correctly, speak coherently and discuss logically our social, political and economic problems? Then many thousands of young men and women cannot get employed for months and years because of the education system. To be more specific, the first requirement for our society is to introduce an education system that guarantees universal education up to a certain level within a few years and then the continuation of this education beside teaching the children and adults how to read, write, speak both Urdu and English. They should be made to understand social and political problems and taught to think correctly and behave properly according to their ages. 
                                              Without doing this a stable, balanced democracy and government cannot be brought into being or social and economic progress be ensured and religious tolerance (fair understanding of each other), mutual respect and even self-respect be possible. Education makes a citizen useful and peaceful by learning skills and providing civilized behavior. Good citizenship is the first perquisite of democracy, and education is the first pre-condition of good citizenship. Only careful education can make citizens well informed, enlightened and conscientious. The education of the citizens is the heart of the modern state. Education does not mean literacy alone. 
Education means: 

“The consequences of population development for the socio-economic and natural environment and vice versa are of such significance that the new generation of young people needs to be aware of them”. 

If most of our people get educated, they can understand the value of unity and discipline. They can co-operate in different fields of life. They can understand and work for their own high aims and those of their nation and country. They can understand and obey the law of the land and become good citizens. Educated people can understand the political problems of their country and those of other countries. They can follow the policies of their government. They can also follow the programmes of different political parties. 

During elections, they can wisely vote for those political parties or candidates whose programmes or policies they find beneficial and useful. They can discuss the political, economic and social problems of their country with one another and with their representatives. Education enables our people to make proper industrial, agricultural and technical progress. Educated people prove to be more efficient and useful than uneducated people. They can work in a proper and sensible manner in offices, factories and shops, on farms and at other places. They can learn new effective ways of using machines for different purposes. They can learn different technical skills for industrial and agricultural work. Educated people cannot easily do all this. 
 Education should be given on a revolutionary basis:

 all the illiterate adults should be able to write letters and to read newspapers and to understand social and national problems. Those who can afford the expenses of education should be made to pay, otherwise it should be free. Educated adults know or understand their rights and duties and the laws of the country much better than uneducated people. They can read newspapers and magazines and can learn about social and natural problems. They can discuss the political, social and economic aims of the government and the programmes of political parties. Then they can be the most suitable candidates for positions of power. Co-education helps boys and girls to understand each others' problems. 

Girls can prove to be successful wives and boys successful husbands after the completion of their education. They can work side by side for a better society as equal citizens. Education is a basic unit of life, and if a citizen will be educated he will know that how to deal with responsibilities. Citizens have many responsibilities and with the help of education these responsibilities can be undertaken successfully. If every citizen will be educated then the citizen will be loyal to his country and he will know how to take care of his country. If citizens will be educated then they learn to avoid violation of laws. If citizens will be educated then they will know who the correct person is to serve their country and they will vote in the right person. If a citizen will be educated then he will know how he should deal with his duties and what to do in social activities. 

In personal responsibilities of citizen, education helps:-

1:  If they will be educated they will do their job nicely, they will know the mannerism of dealing with the job. 

2: If a mother / lady /  girl will be educated then she will be able to take care of her husband or family and give her child a good life. 

3: If a citizen will be educated, he will obey his parents and respect them. 

4: If a citizen will be educated he will know how he can keep others or his country clean. 

5: If a citizen will be educated then he will know how to face problems. He will find  solutions by understanding problems and then solving them. 

Educated people in a developing country like ours can work for social and national progress. Our students especially in the colleges and universities can educate uneducated people. They can engage in a universal education programme, which may be arranged or sponsored by the government, rich industrialists, businessmen and land lords. Classes for children and adults can be arranged in schools, colleges, suitable government buildings, specially built structures in open places and even in certain parks, gardens and fields. Students should understand clearly that: Unless most or all of our people get educated, we cannot join the family of advanced or developed nations 
Students can take part in social welfare activities for general social progress. A wing of the social welfare department may advise the different categories of students about work they can perform in their respective fields. Junior students of colleges and high schools can engage in the general cleanliness of parks and grounds; students can serve their country by getting trained in the military. The senior students can assist the law- enforcement agencies in their work. From all this it is proved that education is a basic unit of life and it is necessary for becoming a responsible citizen. 


                                            (thanks)