Education as an Instrument for Social Change

 Education as an Instrument for Social Change
Education stands out as one of the most powerful instruments of social change. Learning
plays a critical role in molding an individual’s character. Besides, it spells out the desirable
aspect in society, and therefore influences the general social order by teaching people about the
acceptable norms. Generally, education is the process through which a person acquires moral,
physical, and social dimensions required by the community within which they live (Apple,
2012). Learning also relates to the process of imparting knowledge of individuals. Its core
purpose is to develop reasoning and judgment powers and prepare individuals for intellectual
life. Through edification, a society can adopt desirable modifications that are essential for its
progress and modernization (Chakraborty, 2018). Education is critical in the sphere of social
change throughways, such as altering outlooks, preserving culture, creating the desire for change,
and motivating people to adopt dynamic and forward-looking patterns. Social change is
inevitable and education is critical since it enlightens people and opens their minds to initiate and
push for the needed changes in society.
Changing Attitudes
Education assists in changing attitudes of people towards different elements. With
edification, people begin favoring modern life aspects and develop outlooks that can help fight
the previously existing prejudices, traditional beliefs, and superstitions (Chakraborty, 2018).
Such transformations minimize intergroup conflicts within a society hence promoting peaceful
coexistence among the various groups. Chakraborty (2018) also notes that learning enables
people to counter and overcome orthodox values and other socio-economic barriers, such as class
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and caste, to encourage equality within a society. Besides, it transforms people’s viewpoints on
secularism and religion, which supports favorable views towards different beliefs (Esahaque,
2017). A society’s view on family size and diseases also change, and people begin embracing the
use of medicine and raising small families. Hence, education serves as a driver behind
transformed social patterns, thus, promoting social change.
Countering Resistance to Change
Edification plays an essential role in countering the resistance to change. In a typical
society, certain factors form opposition to the way of accommodating the needed social changes
(Esahaque, 2017). Education helps to overcome such elements by compellingly elucidating to the
people about the essence of the suggested transformations. It eradicates the preexisting
preconceptions and blind faith and drives people toward accepting new ideals (Chakraborty,
2018). Besides, learning is actively involved in banishing outdated customs and traditions and
speaking against social evils. It takes several approaches, such as political movements, social
service schemes, and reformation projects (Esahaque, 2017). These methods help to overcome
the factors that previously led to resistance and, in turn, initiate the needed social reforms and
changes.
Creating Desire for Transformations
Education helps to create a desire for transformations within a society. For any change to
be successfully implemented, the target group must first be made to yearn for it. One of the
critical aspects of learning is enlightening people about the social evils existing within their
community, such as gambling, child labor, alcoholism, and forced marriages (Apple, 2012). It
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then develops an urge within them to fight against such evils and change them. Edification helps
the backward and down-trodden people in a society to realize their plight. Such people become
aware of the existing social gaps between them and the privileged groups (Adams & Gottlieb,
2017). Subsequently, it instills within them the yearning to improve their state of affairs, hence
creating a desire for change. Conversely, education helps people to pinpoint existing weaknesses
in a community’s social structure and gaps in skills and knowledge. Such awareness pushes
people to gain the needed aptitudes to achieve progress in different spheres of life.
Preparing People for Social Change
Edification prepares people mentally for social changes. It builds the capacity to welcome
and accept social changes. As people learn, they interact with new ideas and concepts that help
eliminate the previously existing mental objections on some issues. As such, learning helps in
preparing people’s mentality by convincing them of the desirability and usability of changes
(Chakraborty, 2018). It creates a conducive environment for the desired changes to become
acceptable in people’s minds. With the removal of preexisting reservations and the creation of a
suitable setting for transformations, people start to live and act differently. For instance, in the
past, women were treated as inferior by males in different areas, including education and politics
(Esahaque, 2017). However, women have been empowered and enlightened through learning
which has helped change the previously held perceptions and subsequently promote gender
equality