Today, the 24th of January, on the International Education Day, I want to reflect on the importance of education in the lives of refugees and everyone else for that matter. During our incarceration in the refugee camp for 2 years and for the many years after, my parents put a never-ending emphasis on education. Even in the camp, my mother used to teach us English, Urdu and basic mathematics. We barely had access to pen or paper and we still memorized math tables and learned new words every day.
My mother ingrained in all three of us siblings the importance of higher education; my brother obtained his Masters in Structural Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley; my sister completed her masters in Home Economics from a very prestigious college. I went to UK in search of higher education after completing my medical school in Pakistan. I obtained the Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of England and Edinburgh and then came to USA to get further specialized training in the field of Surgery. Even today I am always striving to learn newer techniques in Colon & Rectal surgery.
The importance of education cannot be over emphasized. It is the only panacea to a successful and honorable life.
