Books That Highlight The Importance Of Education

by Shivam Verma

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”
—Nelson Mandela

Education is a driver of change, not just the typical graduate degree learning but the education of all things from being able to mold mud into sorts of things for our use and survival to being able to detect diseases within the human body from machines outside it. It is all education and learning that have helped in revolutionizing the ways of both individual and societal life.

However great an opportunity it is to learn, it’s a sad reality of our world that not everyone gets the chance to become educated, it’s still a far-fetched privilege for many in the world. To increase the impetus for education and for transformative actions towards inclusive, equitable and quality education, on 3 December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted with consensus a resolution proclaiming 24 January as the International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education in peace and development.

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On this International Day of Education, we bring forth a list of books to read on the significance of education and of those who dared to go beyond the ordinary of their times to make a huge impact on education. 

Democracy and Education by John Dewey

John Dewey’s seminal work on Public Education has been a driving philosophy now for many teachers. It stresses bringing forth the true nature of democracy with the aid of education. It looks at education as a tool of problem-solving for democracies. The concept of democracy is more than extending voting rights; it is about equipping citizens with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed, intelligent choices and decisions. Democracies, he believed, were not just political systems, but ethical ideals in which citizens participate actively and informedly. First published in 1916, even after more than 100 years of its existence this book is one of the first to be read to understand the philosophy of education.

His book brought about many ideas like a child-centered approach to teaching. Often he is associated with progressive teaching approaches. Dewey talked about maintaining a balance between the practical implications of education and being child friendly. 

Ways of Seeing by John Berger

Ways of Seeing is a 1972 television series of 30-minute films created chiefly by writer John Berger and producer Mike Dibb. It was then adapted into a book of the same name. Though counted as a book of understanding Art, Ways of seeing can be an important book in understanding how narratives are built in societies and how they reflect in perceptions of the people of that particular age. It can even add the essence of Art to our knowledge base, something which is largely missing from our traditional education system. 

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I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

It is one of the greatest memoirs that details about Malala Yousafzai and her family’s fight for girls’ education against the Taliban. A girl of only 12 years of age, had the courage to face the terrorists. Malala refused to be silenced and fought for her right to education.

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At the age of fifteen, she was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school. After her miraculous recovery, she went on to become a global symbol of peaceful protest. From a remote valley in northern Pakistan to being the youngest Nobel Prize recipient, Malala has become the face of advocacy for girls’ education throughout the world. This personal tale about the fight for education will make you believe in the dominance of willpower even in the face of grave crises. 

ADD TO CART: I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

A Forgotten Liberator: The Life and Times of Savitribai Phule

This book, edited by Braj Ranjan Mani and Pamela Sardar, are essays on the life of Savitribai Phule. They delve into the details of the struggles faced by Savitri bai within the society to become a visionary for education. It is a compilation of articles by six authors who write about the life of the Phules. It also includes three letters by Savitribai Phule to Jyotirao Phule and translated versions of Phule’s poems. This book accounts for the plight and hardships of marginalized women in the social setting in the 18th and 19th-century Indian subcontinent, which can be best understood with a letter by an 11-year-old girl, Muktabai studying in the school founded by the Phule couple. 

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

Brazilian philosopher and educator Paulo Freire was a pioneering proponent of critical pedagogy. Originally written in Portuguese but first published in Spanish, this work has been recognized as a transformative literature that enables readers to identify and combat the genesis of their oppression. Freire questions the status quo by penetrating into the 'way of thinking' of both the oppressed and the oppressors. In the United States and Western Europe, where the development of a permanent underclass among the disadvantaged and minorities in cities and urban centers is becoming increasingly accepted as the norm, Freire's work has assumed a special urgency.

ADD TO WISHLIST: Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

The book suggests that with cooperation, dialogue, and critical thinking, every human being can develop a sense of self and realize their right to be heard. It is largely based on Freire's own experience of teaching underprivileged and illiterate students in his native Brazil and throughout the world. This book is a must read for teachers, students and everyone else who is always up and doing for lifelong learnings. 

Ready, Study, Go by Dinesh Ghodke and Khurshed Batliwala

To make studying interesting and enjoyable, the authors of this book employ several techniques and tips to study efficiently. While exploring the varied attitudes towards studying, they try to rise above the conventional teaching methods, to make studying actually enjoyable.

ADD TO WISHLIST: Ready, Study, Go by Dinesh Ghodke and Khurshed Batliwala

This book largely reflects the shift in narrative around our studying and teaching techniques. With an influx of mind maps, a healthy diet and a change in the attitude with which you approach subjects aims to revolutionize learning. With a holistic approach towards learning, this is a book to return to again and again because this is beyond a mere read. 

"It is education which is the right weapon to cut social slavery and it is education which will enlighten the downtrodden masses to come up and gain social status, economic betterment and political freedom.”
— Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

To have better societies, it's a prominent need to leverage education in all forms. But we need guides to help us spread the warmth of this hope in darker corners. Teachers, visionaries and books can provide just the right motivation to start this change. 

- Shivam Verma

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