For most countries, the age group between 15 and 25 years consists of an average of 16%. And this young group has the role of developing a country. If policymakers and stakeholders can work hand in hand and execute the key element in the most effective and balanced way, then these young people can be a country’s blessing. And that key element is education. If they fail in that, then it leads to the total disaster of the social, political and economic aspects of the country. There is nothing more dangerous than unemployed, uneducated or poorly educated youth. The aims and objectives of education have been drastically transformed through each generation. Education should never be static. It must be able to meet the needs of people according to the society in which they live. This can be easily understood by differentiating between the traditional educational system and the modern educational system. Education is not a privilege of a particular community or group of people. Today, almost all countries have accepted the truth that it is the civil right of a citizen to receive an education. But here comes the real question, is this right to education implemented in real meaning? For this to happen and for it to be worthwhile for the people, the educational system of each of these countries has to guarantee four aspects. Let’s find out what these aspects are.
- Extension
- Effectiveness
- equality
- Employability
Policymakers and those interested in education must consider many factors when implementing the structure and purpose of education, particularly the demographics of that particular country. They should be able to provide education to all citizens who are in the age group. Therefore, the educational system of a country must be extensive according to the demographic requirements. Kindergartens, schools, universities should be established in proportion to the proportion of the population. No applicant should be denied the right to education due to lack of educational infrastructure. So, Extensivity has become the name of the game. Here comes equality, for centuries education was confined only to a certain community or some group of people. A large number of people were excluded from the opportunity to get the chance to get an education. There have been changes in that attitude after a long struggle. But it remains a key factor – Equality for education. All citizens, regardless of any kind of social, economic and political barriers, should have access to the education they deserve. We have to make sure that excluded groups have the opportunity to be involved in the education process. Either it is the biggest failure of the entire nation known as the global family. It is the responsibility of the country to ensure that the GER (Gross Enrollment Rate) works equally proportionally to the specific age group of that country. The Gross Enrollment Rate (GER) or the Gross Enrollment Index (GEI) is a statistical measure used in the education sector and by the UN in its Education Index to determine the number of students enrolled in school at various levels different grade levels (such as elementary, middle, and high school), and use it to show the relationship between the number of students living in that country and those qualifying for the particular grade level.
Although most countries focused heavily on key aspects such as outreach and equality in education, there is one crucial thing that they have sometimes missed or never focused much on: effectiveness. The quality of the education they were imparting. The quality of education became secondary to the number of options given to students. If education has no purpose, then how can it meet the needs of people, then the question arises, why this education? This can lead us to a large mass of educated but unemployed people. Where are we going to use them or how are we going to solve this. If a country’s education never meets a country’s economic needs or the skills expected by businesses or organizations, then all these efforts to enrich the education system will be futile. Various educational thinkers have always questioned the responsibility of the education that was provided. Most employers have expressed concern that most graduates are unfit for work. There are job opportunities, but there is a lack of qualified employees for the particular position. Then the question arises, what do we have to teach them or make them capable. Here the only solution is to identify the abilities of the individuals and give them the opportunity to excel in their craft. And also policymakers need to consider what employers require, what skill sets they expect from their candidates. Unless they are taken into consideration, our educated group becomes useless to itself and to the world. This should never happen.