Education

One day after lecture I chance upon a boy age about 9 to 11 peddling peeled mangoes. I asked him why is he not in school. He replied "My mother asked me to sell these mangoes instead of going to school." Perplexed, I wonder how can a mother do such thing to deny the child his right to education. Then as our conversation went I realize that there are more things this child can teach me than I will learn from my readings. In fact he made a perfect example of what opportunity cost is all about. His mother thought that one day outside of class is one day of earning roughly about 50 pesos of additional income for the family. An earning opportunities worth the absences from school for the poor child.

I begin to question my own assumption of what education is all about. Do we really need to go to school to learn? Or is hands-on street smart education a better alternative to education. The answer is it depends on your purpose. If your ends is money and you use education as means to achieve it, I believe you are better off not going to college but instead start your own business as soon as possible. But if your purpose is higher than money your best bet is to pursue education in its fullest extent.

I always told my students before that the best definition of education I encountered is in the movie Titanic, when Jack told Rose something like "I have 20 dollars in my pocket and I know how the world works. Come with me and will be alright." Learning how the world works is really what matters most when you are out there and nobody to turn to. In the ends its not what you know that matters its how you use what you know.