Is education an insurance against unemployment? Indeed. There are different schools of thought; apparently with disparate ROI. George Savile, the noted English statesman quoted, “Education is what remains when we have forgotten all that we have been taught.” This statement is rightly justified by the employer’s minimum educational requirements and hence the mushrooming of universities, MOOCs, and unlimited learning options to meet the demand of varied employment needs.

Education can take various forms based on necessity and affordability. Education can also be of various kinds based on necessity and age. Nelson Mandela, the revolutionary South African philanthropist and politician, said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Parents and teachers have equally significant stewardship role towards children. Lyndon Johnson, the 36th US President, said “Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.” Few of the resources supporting education are the school system, community, local government facilities, government policies and incentivized programs.

Mahatma Gandhi, the revolutionary leader of Indian independence movement, aptly quoted, “There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” Education begins at home. Parents have the initial privilege at home, hence the prime responsibility. They could enhance the learning experience by creating conducive environment, support system and encouragement. Reading is one of the simpler regiment that Parents can inculcate, that has an everlasting and invaluable return. Thanks to the schools for making Reading as one of the core traits. Reading sets the baseline foundation for the education journey that children embark on. Public Libraries supplement and support the Parents efforts. Parents have numerous tools at their disposal to further the learning experience - Museums, exhibitions, STEM symposiums, science fairs are a few that could be readily leveraged. Children would tread in the path laid down by parents and excel with the teachers learning enrichment and guidance. Kids are wired to pursue with what they’ve access to.

The Government has the overarching responsibility and authority to formulate policies and enforce guidelines to supply the learned resource pool and thus meet the industry demand for talent. Federal, state, and local authorities can offer subsidized educational or vocational programs to close the gap between the employment opportunities and employable skills.

Educational institutions are temples of learning and knowledge. Colleges and Universities provide the resources - tools, facilities, and faculty. How can we leverage these resources? Again, the basic foundation of education at younger age would help catapult to higher education with ease – monetarily, i.e. the price to cruise through higher education gets subsidized with scholarships when the basic schooling is done right and excelled at.

Career growth is aided with supplemental education. Hence education is applicable at any age. John Dewey, a renowned American education reformer said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

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