Ensuring quality higher education is one of the most important

“Ensuring quality higher education is one of the most important things we can do for future generations.” – Ron Lewis

Hear now the wisdom in these words of Ron Lewis, spoken not merely as a statement of policy, but as a declaration of faith in the power of knowledge. When he speaks of ensuring quality higher education, he summons an ancient truth—that the mind, once awakened, becomes the architect of civilization. The roots of every great nation are not found in its riches or armies, but in the learning of its people. For it is through education that the human spirit refines its purpose, and through knowledge that the world is remade anew.

In the time of the ancients, the wise gathered beneath olive trees and temple halls, passing their understanding to the young who would inherit the earth. They knew that to teach one soul was to plant a forest of wisdom for generations to come. So too does Lewis remind us that education is not a luxury, but a sacred duty—a bridge between the past and the unborn future. To neglect it is to abandon the torch that lights the way forward; to nurture it is to ensure that our descendants walk in brilliance, not in shadow.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for twenty-seven years yet never surrendered his belief in the power of learning. In the dim light of his cell, he studied law and philosophy, knowing that education was the weapon that could outlast chains and bullets. When he emerged, he built a new South Africa not through vengeance, but through wisdom. His life is proof that higher learning does not belong solely to universities—it is the discipline of the mind and the shaping of the soul. As he himself said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Thus, quality higher education is not merely about institutions and degrees; it is about integrity in the pursuit of truth. It is the cultivation of reason, creativity, and moral strength in those who will soon bear the weight of the world. To give students mere facts without the wisdom to use them is to hand them swords without teaching restraint. But to give them both knowledge and virtue is to forge guardians of peace, justice, and progress.

The ancients understood this balance well. In the schools of Athens, Plato did not only teach logic—he taught how to live well. In the libraries of Alexandria, scholars from many lands gathered not to compete, but to share understanding. Such is the vision Lewis calls us back to: that education must be universal in reach, excellent in quality, and noble in purpose. It must elevate, not merely instruct; it must inspire service, not self-interest.

O listener, understand that when we invest in education, we are not feeding the present—we are nourishing the roots of eternity. The child who studies today becomes the healer, builder, and thinker of tomorrow. The student who learns with integrity may one day guide a nation. And the society that honors learning will rise, while the one that ignores it will fade into silence. The wealth of the mind is the only treasure that multiplies when given away.

Therefore, let the lesson of Ron Lewis’s words guide our hearts and our actions: build schools before monuments, honor teachers before kings, and prize understanding above gold. Support not only access to learning, but the quality that gives it meaning. Challenge ignorance with compassion, and invest in institutions that awaken the mind and uplift the spirit.

For when we ensure quality higher education, we do more than prepare the young—we safeguard the future. We become the guardians of wisdom’s flame, ensuring that long after we are gone, its light will continue to burn, guiding generations yet unborn toward a world wiser, kinder, and more free.