By Kamala Sarup
Education was promoted from the earliest times in the U.S. Since many settlers had strong Christian religious beliefs, a rudimentary education was necessary to read and understand the Bible. That education turned out to be useful in work as well as business pursuits.
Laws were passed that required some schooling, and colleges were created early, most by religious leaders to become ministers to the people. These colleges later became secular as learning turned more to science, agriculture, technologies, art, literature, history, etc. Governments used taxes to install primary, secondary and college institutions.
Education is a vast subject, so I can't get too much into it here, but education enhances one's ability to get better work and become an informed citizen, which is important in a democracy - and for peace.
If people are left uneducated, they won't know too much about the possibilities for a better life. I don't see how a democracy can function adequately unless the general population has at least the ability to read, and to know what is going on in the government so that they can choose leaders intelligently. If the people are uneducated in the democracy, then the minority of educated people will pass laws and elect officials who promote their interest rather than interests of the general population. Also, scientific and technical work require high reading skills.
Many factory workers required some reading knowledge and some require knowledge of arithmetic and trigonometry too. I can't imagine how the U.S. could become so technically proficient and rich without considerable investments in education so that expertise could be disseminated throughout industries to people who work in them.
US Democracy- The United States of America - has always supported the cause of democracy and human rights in South Asia, and particularly in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Afghanistan. India is already a well established nation of more than a billion people, where democracy has taken deep roots with more than six decades of democratic exercises.
Pakistan is a different story altogether. Pakistan has not been able to foster the growth of democracy and freedoms. It has been ruled by the army, sort of a military junta, during most of its history. Pakistan and Bangladesh are now Islamic Republics. Bhutan is a Buddhist nation, similarly Sri Lanka is a Buddhist nation.
Today, the United States is committed to fighting terrorism around the world. It is in the best interest of all of mankind to safeguard the freedoms and rights of the people. A Nepali scholar Pandey said "The United States of America is a nation of immigrants. This openness to accept all people from around the world is the beauty and strength of America. This humanitarian approach to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is the bedrock of the US nation".
So, I have seen see many connections between education and a democracy.
