'Students need to learn equity, justice'

The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi stressed the importance of education for equity and justice during the World Education Forum in Incheon, Wednesday.

He believes that the meaning of education is more than just economic development.

"The objective of education is equally to discover human qualities and the potential of every single human being and their communities," Satyarthi said in a press conference at the Songdo Convensia.

He emphasized what he called "democratized knowledge."

"Knowledge should not be limited to few people but should be shared by everyone," he said.

Pointing out Korea's low happiness index and high suicide rate, Satyarthi criticized Korea's harsh competition, under which students trample on each other to perform better.

"Actually education has many objectives; education is for the empowerment, exploration of inner strength and finding humanity," he said. "Based on those things, students can learn what equity and justice are."

Praising the Korean education system in some ways, he called on the Asian country to share its expertise and experience with developing countries.

"There is a principle that satisfaction and happiness do not rely on what we gain, it lies in what we give," Satyarthi said.

Given that Korean business corporations have achieved a lot in automobiles, telephones, and other electronic goods, he said the country should now think of "how to return successes to the world."

He said South Asia could learn how to turn raw knowledge into economic results from the Korean education system.

"Although more students in South Asian countries including India and Bangladesh can now go to school, those countries should try harder to improve the quality of education," he said.

Satyarthi is an Indian children's rights advocate and an activist against child labor. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize together with Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan.