@Ange Aimable Musafiri (Masaka):
Education means freedom from poverty, freedom from stereotypes that say people who look like you are dumb lazy drug dealers who birth children out of wedlock. Education is the ability to inspire others with knowledge, it's the awareness of self.
Receiving a college degree is not the world to me because it will not save me if I'm my death bed, it will not buy my love, it doesn't guarantee me that I won't face challenges in life. It would however, give me the satisfaction of knowing that I'm able to achieve whatever I put my mind to. I can have the peace of mind of knowing that I don't have to settle for a minimum wage job. I know that I won't have to feed my children chicken backs and pinto beans every night for dinner.
I have such an ardent passion for education, I love to learn, I love to study, I love being challenged in the classroom. I love it when a teacher tells me I can't, or I'm not smart enough to do this or that; this motivates me even more.
Education to me is the opportunity to do something with my life. Also it is the opportunity to learn new things and find out the answers to the questions how and why since those are the two questions I ask about everything.
For me education is one word, and it may sound cliche but it's true. Education is life. Education is the ability to grow and mature. Education is the ability to try, to make a mistake, to learn, and to try again. Education is so much more than simply sitting in a classroom lecture. It's experiencing the world, taking risks, getting involved, helping a person...it is our total self.
Perhaps it can be said that education is knowing what you can do, and how you can do it.
I don't really want to say that education is the only way to be successful and have a productive and fulfilling life. I know alot of people that have Bachelor's and Masters and are not successful or happy with their life. I do believe though that "this piece of paper" like someone called it, will open new opportunities for me. It will give me more flexibility - if I want to work part time, or perhaps work from home and still make good money, it will be possible if I was a professional with a higher degree.
for me this what education mean, what about others??