It can be observed throughout the annals of history that the societies that have been open and have been able to search and discover have been gifted in so many ways. They have not only developed but have opened many doors of knowledge, through which anyone can enter and enjoy from the limitless resources of knowledge, not only about themselves but about the universe as a whole.
There used to time in human history, when human beings used to live in caves and they knew nothing of civilized life. They, because of their limited knowledge, used to worship different phenomena and elements of nature. As they were not able to find the true reason of different phenomena and happenings, they used to attach them to the deeds of deities. Therefore, they had created many deities for themselves.
They had the deities for rain, for storm, for greenery, for starvation and many others. However, as the human societies evolved and they started research and investigation, they started paving their way towards a modern and civilized life.
Research and investigation have the capacity to uncover the realities and put an end to doubts and mysteries. Research and experimental development is formal work undertaken systematically to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humanity, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications. It is used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems, support theorems, or develop new theories.
The individuals, groups and societies that seek scientific and reliable knowledge, they have to acquire it through research and experiment. The knowledge acquired through such a way can go through every test of reliability and consistency and can guide its supporter towards a better understanding and choice.
The knowledge gained through a research is reliable and closer to truth because it is gained through a scientific process that is based on different steps. Every research method starts through observation, after which a hypothesis is formed, which is then experimented and at the end a conclusion is reached based on the result of the experiment. The theories and laws that are formed within a scientific discipline are the outcome of the same method and they can go through the test of experiments and scrutiny.
The modern countries, which value the role of research and investigation, have adopted the system of education in their schools and colleges that are highly dominated by research work. They require the students to perform extensive research work and pursue practical education methods. Their students acquire their knowledge not through the cramming of the books but through practical studies. They have well-established laboratories wherein they perform different sorts of experiments and understand the truth through their own actions.
On the other hand, in the education systems of third world countries, including our education system, there is an obsolete method of education. The students learn everything based on what has been written in their books without practical knowledge of what they learn.
They have to cram everything and then have to answer the questions that are asked in their papers. The knowledge that is gained through such a system is basically in the memory, not in the understanding of the students and the tests are the tests of memory, not of the understanding. Therefore, the students, educated through such education system, may get degrees and even lucrative jobs but they may remain illiterate in the real sense.
It is important to notice that research and investigation are not only necessary in the field of education, but they are very much important in other fields as well. In today's world of ours it can be easily formed that there are different institutions in many countries that are performing research on cultural and social issues. They are discovering the roots of different social evils and trying to reach their proper solutions on the basis of institutional research.
Though it is difficult to perform experiments and acquire scientific knowledge about the social phenomena, yet it is not impossible. Through different research techniques and tools, the mysteries of social changes, problems and trends can be ascertained.
It is a fact that in social sciences the facts are not as exact as they can be observed in material sciences, but the role of the research and experiment cannot be neglected in this regard. Today's social scientists have many reasons to believe that certain social phenomena occur because of certain reasons and they are bound to generate certain results. Though they cannot take the social issues in the laboratories but they have turned the societies into their laboratories and are carrying out their research and study and finding out the better ways of living.
The real education is the education that makes human beings able to understand themselves and the world around. It is not just about being able to pass certain tests and achieve better positions in the schools, colleges and universities. It must bring about a transformation within human beings. However, such an education can only be achieved through research, investigations and experiments.
Therefore, it is necessary that we must install in our education system a system of scientific research and experiment. Through the present education system we can only generate parrots that can repeat what is taught to them, without having the capacity to understand the essence of the taught lessons. Though there will be educated people but they would not have proper awareness.
We would be able to call them the educated ignorant, who would have strong memories but weaker minds. Our country at the moment has to bring about real changes in different sphere of its educational and social lives if it really wants to stand among the dignified nations of the world, therefore, it has to make utmost efforts to bring about changes in the institutional level by equipping them through the gifts of scientific knowledge and the initiative can be taken in the schools, colleges and universities.
A thorough revision of the curricula should be made and it should be ensured that what the educational institutions teach must be trustworthy and closer to truth and their learners can make a difference in their lives and in the life of their nation.