Acharya Prashant addresses the question of true education by referencing the Upanishads, which teach about two types of knowledge: worldly knowledge (Sansarik Gyan) and self-knowledge (Atma Gyan). He asserts that both are essential for a healthy life. However, he identifies two fundamental flaws in our current education system. Firstly, it has absolutely no place for self-knowledge. Secondly, even the worldly knowledge it imparts is not for deep understanding or research but is taught solely for professional and commercial purposes. The meaning of education has been reduced to merely securing a livelihood and a career. The consequence of this flawed approach is that the sole measure of education's success has become the salary package one obtains. This has led to a situation where if money can be earned without extensive education, the education itself is deemed unnecessary. This mindset has created a large population of so-called educated people who are, in fact, often completely ignorant. They may not have basic knowledge of their country's constitution, world history, or economics, but they are convinced they are on the right path because they earn a good salary. They are uneducated about their inner world and have a very shallow understanding of the outer world. Acharya Prashant explains that this gap in the formal education system has allowed 'fly-by-night operators' and 'quacks' to thrive, offering short-term courses that promise high-paying jobs. This happens because the formal system has failed to provide proper education, just as a quack's business flourishes in a village without a real hospital. He states that the policymakers who designed our education system did not understand human nature or spirituality. True education, he proposes, should follow a clear hierarchy: its first and foremost purpose is to provide self-knowledge (Atma Gyan), giving a person inner vision. Its second purpose is to provide a complete understanding of the external world. The ability to earn a livelihood should be the third and natural outcome of the second. He concludes that our current system fails on all three counts, as it provides neither self-knowledge nor comprehensive worldly knowledge, and is not even effective at making people truly employable.
