Opinion: Education First, Then Laws

Nawal Sayed

In his extremely important book "The Future of Culture in Egypt," the late icon of Arabic literature, Dr. Taha Hussein, posed an initial question about which is closer to the Egyptian personality: the people of the East or the people of the West?

He further simplified the question when asked: Which mentality is closer to the Egyptian mentality: the Chinese or Indian or the French or English?

He did not stay too long to clarify the answer through which he wants to define the future of Egyptian culture.

He asserted that the Egyptian human being is closer to English or French, more than to Chinese and Indian, and that the future of Egyptian culture is closely linked to its European neighbors, who do not differ in mentality from the mentality of the Egyptian. He further added thatcivilizations is being rotated between Egypt and Europe.

He went further in his analysis of the reasons for the hostility that dominates the relationship between the two shores, which has always had a religious dimension: Islamic on the south shore, Christian on the north shore.

He, explicitly, declared that there is no animosity between Islam and Christianity as the first clearly declares that it emerged from the same source from which the second came out. He considered, rather, that politics, interests and greed are the factors which ruled that relationship and planted hostility between the two shores.

This important book, in which Dr. Taha Hussein deals with the mentality of both the Egyptian and the European, reviews the psychological traits of the Egyptian personality and its European counterpart. He denied that the European has that distorted image about his relationship with the society, politics, relifion and the soul.

This book was dictated by the Dr. Hussein eighty one years ago and was published in 1938. Dr. Taha Hussein stressed in this book that the only way to catch up with modern European civilization is education, a topic which had a large part in the book.

He thought that the formation of personality through the educational process, that he suggested to be European, is the main for, afterward, this person would carry out his tasks once, but also be able to carry out his duties: functional, practical and national, and able to distinguish between what is cast, and choose the most appropriate and correct. This was what has been achieved in European societies through education.

We find the lowest diplomas carriers has full capacity to perform their jobs, and has tremendous ability to distinguish between the imporatnt and less important issues in their communities.

This is without having to have 'raising awareness' efforts in the societies, because they are already there throughout people's life. Hence also the actions of citizens are carried out consciously, where they choose what they see as the public or personal good.

We cannot have a conscious person to the point where we guarantee the preservation of society and self care by the inpidual unless we qualify people for this. We cannot do this but through education which prepares personalities capable of performing their specialized tasks, and able to take the right decisions at the right time, but also can balance issues without excessive criticiusm.

These traits, hoped by Dr. Taha Hussein, and which we are still working to have at graduates, is the one that controls the development of society.

It is no matter the enactment of laws, and whatever legislations were there, everything must be based on that internal motivation which must be disciplined, or there will be no results.

In fact, we do not need any more laws or new legislations.

The fact is that we need to create and strengthen the criticque traits. This should be the target of the ladies and gentlemen of the House of Representatives, where one recently called, rather, for a law to impose decency. This really reflects a deep awareness crisis in the priorities at those who are assigned to work on the needs of society.

Contributed by Yassmine ElSayed