Q10. What is education all about? Grades or knowledge? Or knowledge for productive use?

My musings: Education has got nothing to do with grades……There are lots of my counterparts, friends, cousins etc, who were first divisioners in school..in X and XII but …as life progressed their knowledge is restricted to their field of expertise….their profession. I presume….that my general awareness of the world… of various happenings…be it any field is better. Because…for me knowledge meant learning and not grades. I may have not been a first divisioner of my time…..but whatever I learnt…I did so….because of the interest to know about the subject. No excuses for bad grades. Yes grades…do help in assessing what one has learnt…and maybe at the time, maybe I was not mature enough to understand the importance of learning…..but then learning has to be permanent and a continuous process. Knowledge is surely required by your profession….and it should be put to productive use….but no harm in learning new things…every day…and broadening your horizons. These days avenues for gaining knowledge are limitless… newspapers, books, .libraries, internet, etc…even travelling teaches you so much. I have travelled to so many places in India….have visited the Gulf countries….seen China….and such travelling has broadened my horizons manifold. One starts understanding the nuances of various cultures…which cannot be learnt in class rooms. My dream is to travel all over the world…..not for any other reason…but for learning…..learning how various cultures have evolved over the centuries in various countries. But my belief is that basic human nature is the same all over the world. Is it so? ANY ANSWERS.