The terms religion and education are related to one another and cannot be separated as religious teaching contain education, and education needs spiritual value in it to make the knowledge meaningful for man, both in life and Hereafter.

Why does Religion closely associate with Education? 

Based on the definition of religion: "A system of beliefs, practices and philosophical values shared by a group of people; It defines the holiness, helps explain life, and offers salvation from the problems of human existence." (Henry L. Tischler 1999).

To recapitulate, religion helps clarify the meaning of life and influences man's point of view. For example, when a man sticks to one philosophical view that is consistent and has scripture/holy book to refer to, e.g. Islam, he will live a valuable journey of life without thinking that education is a waste of time. 

Allah mentioned the position of people who seeks knowledge in Surah Al-Mujadalah, verse 11.

 (11) وَإِذَا قِيلَ ٱنشُزُوا۟ فَٱنشُزُوا۟ يَرْفَعِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ دَرَجَـٰتٍ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ

Next, the characteristics of religions such as universality, ancient, continuity, and control help in turning education into life-long learning for students. In short, religions are the caretakers of education.

Last but not least, Islamic scholars such as Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Khaldun, and Al-Farabi are the greatest example of successful learners with spiritual value. Although they were majors in their specialization, e.g. Ibn Sina masters medicine and a Muslim philosopher, they managed to fulfill their responsibility as Khalifah in Islam. 

Thus, Islamic values and teachings cannot be separated from education because it makes humans more human (as religion helps in controlling man's behavior). 

Before I end my reflection, I am interested in one of the Muslim scholar's ideas on education, Imam Al-Ghazali. In his views on education, he advised the educators to pay attention to students' conduct rather than the good speech alone. As educators, we might only see the outcomes of students (grades & achievement). However, we must also observe their progress in achieving the results.