Am I Educated?
What is your standard for an educated person?
Before I ask the question, let me tell you something about myself.
I belong to a very poor family of northern Afghan province Kanduz from where we were migrated Pakistan after the jihad against Russians was initiated. Like all other muslim Afghans, we were also “jihadized” and supposed to be very strict religious. So the only education source we had there was madrassa. My father admitted me to a madrassa and I studied there nearly 7 years. I have written that story here. (My Life in Madrassa)
Then I came to know that Madrassa’s study was very limited. Some other incidents forced me to leave it which infuriated my father and I left my home too, and then went to a city called Lahore. There I learned Urdu and studied thousands of books. In those days I also learned my native language Pashto and studied several thousand more books. I had a thirst for learning. So I tried to learn more and more. I learned from every one. I learned from my co-workers, my room-mates, my friends and every one.
Then I returned home and one day tried to write my first article. A local Pashto magazine published the article which was written on Afghan conflict and that gave me coverage of more writing. So I wrote non-stop and on every subject. In less than one year, I was known as a “writer” in the area where we were living.
When I went back to Lahore, I focused on my Urdu and after some months’ hard work tried to write some thing in that language but my grammar was not good so the attempt failed. But I continued to learn. Then came the day when my first Urdu article published in 2004 in Karachi. After that, I wrote many articles and stories in Urdu which were published in magazines and newspapers. My literary column in a weekly Urdu newspaper was so popular that known writers had written letters about it. One of them had once commented, “I don”t believe that Abdulhadi Hairan writes this column because Pashtoons can’t write so good Urdu.’
My first job in the writing world was in that newspaper as proof reader and translator and later I wrote as columnist and feature writer. It was a job of very low salary but good than working at hotels and restaurants. Then I moved to Peshawar and got a job as sub-editor in a Pashto newspaper called Wahdat.
And now I work as News Editor of an Afghan news agency.
Meanwhile, one day I developed the idea of learning English and immediately began to learn it. I learned to read in a short time and then started writing. I have written numerous articles and stories till the date and most of them have been published. I must tell you that my English is still not good. I am still learning it. I want to learn it to the extent of a good command. There are many stories, novels and other stuff that are waiting to be written in English.
Still I can say that I am able to work in three languages. My native Pashto, Urdu (I am very good in both) and English. I have studied thousands of books of these three languages and have written on many subjects.
Now the question is that: Am I educated?
When I apply for a job or any thing, they ask for qualification and I don’t have any certificate as I have never attended any school or college. All I have learned from books and reading.
So what do you think? Only those are supposed educated persons who have attended regular schools or colleges or they are also can be considered as educated persons who have good knowledge and skill of writing but never attended schools.
I must mention that, though I don’t have any educational degree and certificate, they know me as a writer in Pashto and all the organisations I have worked with recognize me as a journalist.
But when it comes to the question, when some one asks me about my education, or some organisation ask for qualification, I don’t know what to answer. Should I say I am educated or non-educated?
And what is your standard for an educated person?
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User Comments
Maxim Khailo
On October 7, 2007 at 1:47 am
I would say you are talented and intelligent. Trust me, being “educated” does not imply talent or intelligence. I am a Russian living in the United States and have found that getting a certificate is important for getting a good job, but I think with your diligence and hard work, you don’t need one.
I am “educated” because I got a degree from a university. However many of my peers are not qualified to be called intelligent. I think this distinction is important. Edcuation is a practice of memorization. Intelligence is the practice of thinking. I value intelligence.
Paul
On October 7, 2007 at 5:36 am
I agree with Maxim, I have a BA (Hons) degree, but only speak one language. You speak two at least. I would say that I was quite a good writer (username on Triond.com is paulenberg) but that has developed from 17 years of experience writing as a poet and prose writer. One point Maxim, at my university, I mostly passed my modules by researching the subjects and using the notes made from research to write essays and a dissertation. I didn’t take all that many exams, about four in total over a three year period. So memorising chunks of data to regurgitate at exam time wasn’t a priority. Obviously I don’t know the system in the USA but I reckon it’s a fairer way of testing one’s commitment to studying as well as intelligent use of what has been learned from research. So Abdulhadi, please don’t worry, you’re smart enough to learn another language, smart enough to write – best of luck to you.
Abdulhadi Hairan
On October 7, 2007 at 5:56 am
Thank you Paul and Maxim for the comments. Your comments are helpful and appericiative. But the question is still the same as it was. A person who have never attended school, college, university and regular classes. Is he educated?
What he should say when applying to any job whether he is educated or not. And how to prove himself fit for the job when the company or organisation requires degrees?.
Regards
Anne Lyken-Garner
On October 7, 2007 at 8:46 am
A very thought provoking article. There is a difference between being intelligent and being educated. Many ‘educated’ people who possess numerous certifications are not intelligent as they are unable to apply the knowledge they have accumulated.
As we all know, wisdom – the appliction of knowledge, does not necessarily come from having important looking pieces of paper. Thanfully, experience is valued over education in many fields today.
Pareveen
On March 19, 2008 at 11:05 am
Asalaam alykum,
I enjoyed reading your article. As a pashtun female, my mom always asks how can a person be educated if they don’t know how to interact and treat people kindly? Being educated, simply means that an individual is persistant and willing to grow intellectually and spiritually. Here in the states, attending a university is an activity that some people do in order to pass time and to continue being finanically supported through family and the government or other private individuals (scholarships). There are those who take the educational environment seriously and continue to work hard like you have and others who simply follow the path that they are asked to follow (attend school) and lack passion. Passion for learning is being educated. As a masters of arts in teaching (MAT) scholar, I too have found myself questioning what truly is an education. In Epistemology, we should ask how do we know what we know? Is the knowledge we recieve accurate whether it’s from books or a professor’s mouth? After reading your article, I feel that you are extremely educated in every sense, mashallah. The mere word, “Education” means to stimulate or develop the mental or moral growth of. Do you believe you have grown morally and mentally? If so, you are educated. Asalaam walykum.
Abdulhadi Hairan
On March 27, 2008 at 3:02 am
Thank you all of you for the appericiative comments.
ahhairanATgmailDOTcom
Eduard - Gabriel Munteanu
On June 5, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Hello,
I’m an undergrad BEng student. All things that I know best and I can count on have been self-taught (but I will not go into the specifics). I do not regard school too highly.
Are you educated? As far as I can tell, yes. Could you prove it? Yes, but through a different process than what usual employment seekers do (i.e. present a certificate to the employer).
What I’m saying would be similar to what an artist would do. Artists are often not schooled. They make their name known and their art valued in the same way they learn to paint, sing, play etc.: they take a step further by themselves. They create a work of art, expose it and recieve criticism.
You could do the same. When you learned your trade, you studied many books without being told to do so. Now write some article without being told to do so. Make yourself a nice portfolio. And then go tell your maybe-future employers “I did this and that, but you probably know it already”.
My example… I managed to get employed on small projects merely by answering technical questions on a forum. Some people managed to put my answers to good use by themselves, while a few others went on seeking my expertise in exchange for money. I did not even bother to advertise my availability to do such work prior to getting such an opportunity. And I’d say that your field of interest is a bit more open to self-taught people.
I hope this answers your questions.
Abdullah
On June 10, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Salam Abdul Hadi Jana,
I’ve a friend who studied music at Harvard University, but ended up a successful Wall Street Banker, while later becoming a Software Engineer who opened up his own IT company. He never obtained any qualifications in either Finance or Computer Science.
Asking for a tertiary qualification relative to a job at hand merely offers convenience in the hiring of employees. Let’s keep one thing in mind here. Like you, I too am an Afghan, born in Afghanistan. In a country like ours, where illiteracy runs high and every man and his dog fancies himself the President, asking for some tertiary qualification is a sure way to reduce unreasonable applicants overloadng the employers desk. The process may not be fair, but it is convenient on grounds of reasonable intent.
Warm Regards,
Abdullah
semarmendemx
On July 8, 2008 at 11:12 am
Hello Mr Hairan,
Your story is very inspiring. I prefer intelligence to education as well. You can create something if you are intelligent although you are not well educated. I used to exaggerate education until I realized that there are so many people out there who are very successful in their life without having a formal education.
They have a thirst in learning. People named it autodidact.
Abdulhadi Hairan
On July 10, 2008 at 5:31 am
Thank you Abdullhad and semarmendemx
Your comments were a great relief for me.
kb24
On August 6, 2008 at 4:52 am
Hello Mr. Hairan,
Your story is really interesting.. personally, i think that you cannot judge a person’s intelligence by their school degree.. in fact if you look at some of the world’s greatest inventors, some of them got dropped out from their school.
(Thomas Alfa Edison, Bill Gates, etc)
I’ve always believed that our life itself is a continuous studying process, so to me studying can be done everywhere and anytime, not just in schools, that’s why i never limit myself when it comes to studying new things, as long as it interests me; i will keep looking for a way to learn it, whether from books, internet, or asking other people..
I went to a industrial degree in my school, but recently i’ve been trying to learn some Java Programming by myself, because i believe it’s learn able even without a degree in Computer science..
And to answer your question? i think you are educated enough judging from the way you write this column..
I think a lot of people will value your experience rather than your education, so don’t worry.. and if you are able to speak in many languages like that, then you’re smarter than most people that i know.
Regards.
Abdulhadi Hairan
On August 9, 2008 at 7:16 am
Hello kb24,
Thank you for your comments.
{I think a lot of people will value your experience rather than your education, so don’t worry.. and if you are able to speak in many languages like that, then you’re smarter than most people that i know.}
Thank you again for this.
Feroz Afridi
On January 18, 2009 at 8:10 am
still I can’t believe that you can write in English but I will as I know you personally how hardworking person are you.
Keep it up and yes you are an educated person becuase many educated people learning from you.
You are the source of education Mr. Hadi.
I salute you
feroz
Abdulhadi Hairan
On January 21, 2009 at 1:50 am
Feroz Saib salamoona,
Thank you.
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