Meaning of Education

Introduction 

Education is a systematic process through which a child or an adult acquires knowledge, experience, skill and sound attitude. It makes an individual civilized, refined, cultured and educated. For a civilized and socialized society, education is the only means. Its goal is to make an individual perfect. Every society gives importance to education because it is a panacea for all evils. It is the key to solve the various problems of life. Education has been described as a process of waking up to life: 

(a) Waking up to life and its mysteries, its solvable problems and the ways to solve the problems and celebrate the mysteries of life. 

(b) Waking up to the inter-dependencies of all things, to the threat to our global village, to the power within the human race to create alternatives, to the obstacles entrenched in economic, social and political structures that prevent our waking up. 

(c) Education in the broadest sense of the term is meant to aid the human being in his/her pursuit of wholeness. Wholeness implies the harmonious development of all the potentialities God has given to a human person. 

(d) True education is the harmonious development of the physical, mental, moral (spiritual), and social faculties, the four dimensions of life, for a life of dedicated service.

Meaning of Education 

Etymologically, the word "Education" has been derived from different Latin words. 

(a) 'Educare' which means 'to bring out' or 'to nourish'. 

(b) 'Educere' which means 'to lead out' or 'to draw out'. 

(c) 'Educatum' which means 'act of teaching' or 'training'. 

(d) 'Educatus' which means 'to bring up, rear, educate'. 

(e) 'Educatio' which means "a breeding, a bringing up, a rearing." 

(i) The Greek word 'pedagogy' is sometimes used for education. 

(ii) The most common Indian word 'shiksha' is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root 'shas' which means 'to discipline', 'to control', 'to instruct' and 'to teach'. 

(iii) Similarly, the word 'vidya' is derived from Sanskrit verbal root 'vid' which means 'to know'. Vidya is thus the subject matter of knowledge. This shows that disciplining the mind and imparting knowledge where the foremost considerations in India. 

Back in the 1500s, the word education meant ―the raising of children,‖ but it also meant "the training of animals". While there are probably a few teachers who feel like animal trainers, education these days has come to mean either "teaching" or "the process of acquiring knowledge".

By educating an individual we attempt to give him some desirable knowledge, understanding, skills, interests, attitudes and critical 'thinking. That is, he acquires knowledge of history, geography, arithmetic, languages and sciences.

He develops some understanding about the deeper things in life, the complex human relations, and the cause and effect relationship and so on. He gets some skills in writing, speaking, calculating, drawing, operating some equipment etc. He develops some interests in and attitudes towards social work, democratic living, co-operative management and so on. As an individual in the society, he has to think critically about various issues in life and take decisions about them being free from bias and prejudices, superstitions and blind beliefs. Thus, he has to learn all these qualities of head, hand and heart through the process of education.