Time to Re-Educate Ourselves

Since Early Childhood, We are taught that education is the key to a better life. Parents invest their income in their children’s schooling, students spend years earning degrees, and governments repeatedly promise to improve the education system.

Nepal has made significant progress in education over the past few decades. Literacy rates have increased. Education has reached many remote communities that once had little or no access to formal education. More young people are in access to secondary and even higher level education lately.

Despite the growth of education, corruption continues to exist in many institutions. Discrimination based on caste, gender, and economic status still affects people’s lives. Many highly qualified individuals continue to prioritize personal interests over social responsibility. Educational certificates have increased, but social problems remains.This reality forces us to ask a difficult yet necessary question: Are we truly educated, or have we simply accumulated information, degrees, and certificates?

The renowned Egyptian writer, physician, and social activist Nawal El Saadawi believed that education should be more than a pathway to employment. It should help people think independently, question injustice, develop creativity, and become responsible citizens. Her message is highly relevant for Nepal today, where educational reform must go beyond exams and certificates to nurture ethical, compassionate, and socially responsible individuals who can contribute to a just and prosperous society.

Knowledge Beyond Memorization

One of the major challenges in Nepal’s education system is the dominance of rote learning. Many students focus on memorizing information to pass examinations rather than understanding ideas and questioning them. As a result, they may achieve good grades but miss the deeper purpose of education.

Nawal El Saadawi described this as the difference between pseudo knowledge and real knowledge. Pseudo knowledge is the accumulation of facts and information without understanding, reflection, or critical thinking. Real knowledge, by contrast, enables people to think independently, understand society, make ethical decisions, and distinguish right from wrong. A person may possess several academic degrees yet lack compassion, honesty, and social responsibility, while someone with limited formal education may demonstrate wisdom, integrity, and a strong commitment to the community.

Education Should Build Character and Critical Thinking

The primary purpose of education should be to develop responsible, ethical, and compassionate human beings before producing doctors, engineers, teachers, lawyers, or civil servants. Professional competence is important, but character and values are equally essential. A doctor should combine knowledge with empathy, a teacher should inspire curiosity, an engineer should consider the broader well-being of society, and a lawyer should uphold justice with integrity and a commitment to truth.

In Nepal, educational success is often measured by degrees, income, or opportunities abroad. While economic advancement is important, an excessive focus on personal gain can weaken values such as honesty, service, cooperation, and social responsibility. The growing commercialization of healthcare, education, and public service reflects this challenge and has contributed to declining public trust.

Education should therefore prepare young people not only for careers but also for responsible citizenship. Nepal needs professionals who are guided by integrity and a commitment to the common good. Equally important, education should teach people how to think, not simply what to think. It should encourage questioning, critical analysis, and independent judgment. Nepal’s democratic progress has always depended on citizens who dared to challenge injustice and demand accountability.

A healthy society requires informed citizens who can distinguish facts from misinformation, evaluate ideas critically, and participate actively in public life. As Nepal continues its democratic journey, education must nurture both character and critical thinking, enabling individuals to contribute meaningfully to society and the nation’s future.

The Importance of Creativity

Creativity is one of the most important outcomes of education, yet many classrooms continue to reward memorization more than original thinking. Education should nurture curiosity, imagination, and problem-solving skills rather than simply teaching students to reproduce the ‘right’ answers.

Creativity is not limited to the arts; it is essential in every field. Farmers, entrepreneurs, doctors, teachers, and community leaders all rely on creative thinking to solve problems and improve lives. Children are naturally curious, but an examination-centered system often discourages this curiosity by placing greater value on memorization than exploration.

The most valuable education is not one that provides all the answers, but one that inspires a lifelong habit of curiosity, creativity, and learning.

The Time to Re-Educate Ourselves

Improving schools, colleges, and universities is important, but lasting change cannot come from institutions alone. It must begin with each of us as students, parents, teachers, policymakers, and citizens. The challenge before us is not only to reform education but also to re-educate ourselves.

Re-education means developing the habit of critical thinking, listening to different perspectives, questioning our assumptions, and respecting the dignity of every human being. It means recognizing that education is not merely a pathway to employment; it is preparation for responsible and meaningful living.

For Nepal, this requires a shift in priorities. We should value integrity as much as academic achievement, character as much as professional success, and social responsibility as much as economic prosperity. A teacher’s honesty and dedication should be celebrated alongside a student’s examination results. A young person’s ethical courage and commitment to society should be appreciated as much as a well-paid job or an opportunity abroad.

Schools alone cannot achieve this transformation. Families, communities, and educational institutions must work together to nurture both competence and compassion. The goal should be to create a society where cooperation is valued alongside competition, where public service is respected, and where human well-being matters more than material wealth.

Conclusion

What Nepal and the world need today is not merely more degree holders, but more thoughtful, ethical, and compassionate citizens. The true purpose of education is not only to prepare people for careers but also to help them become responsible human beings who contribute positively to society.

Real education is not measured by certificates or grades. It is reflected in our ability to think critically, act with integrity, show empathy, and serve others. If education is to shape a better future for Nepal, it must move beyond rote learning and narrow competition to nurture creativity, social responsibility, and ethical leadership. Only then can education become a genuine force for personal growth, social progress, and lasting change.

Author Baral,  former Principal of Gandaki Boarding School and Gandaki College of Engineering and Science, writes on education, environment and information technology.