What does "educate" mean?

1. (to teach or train) to teach someone at a school or college, or to give them information about a particular topic. 2. (to inform about a topic) to give someone the information they need to understand a situation or make a choice.

Is it correct to say "The government wants to educate to the children."?

No — say "The government wants to educate the children.". The verb 'educate' is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.

educate

US //ˈɛdʒəˌkeɪt// UK //ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪt// ed·u·cate

1 to teach or train (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to teach someone at a school or college, or to give them information about a particular topic.

to provide schooling or formal training; to develop the faculties and powers of a person by teaching and instruction.

Example

The charity works to educate children in rural areas who cannot go to school.

Example

The university aims to educate the next generation of engineers by combining theoretical physics with practical laboratory experience.
Pitfall

The government wants to educate to the children.

The government wants to educate the children.

The verb 'educate' is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.
2 to inform about a topic (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to give someone the information they need to understand a situation or make a choice.

to provide information or training on a specific social, medical, or practical issue to improve public awareness.

Example

The campaign aims to educate the public about the dangers of smoking.

Example

Public health officials are launching a nationwide initiative to educate citizens on the importance of preventative screenings and early detection.

Etymology 1

From Middle English educaten, from educat(e) (“educated”, also used as the past participle of educaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), from Latin ēducātus, the perfect passive participle of ēducō (“(of a child, physically or mentally) to bring up, train, nourish; (of a person in learning or art) to rear, educate, train; (plants or animals) to nourish, support, or produce”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from an intensive/frequentative formed on ēducō (“lead out, draw out; to raise up, erect”) + -ō.

Etymology 2

From Middle English educat(e) (“educated”, also used as the past participle of educaten), borrowed from Latin ēducātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.