Consider where you are in life currently and think back to
how you got there, most
people
would say they had an education to help them obtain their goals. When you think
back to
your
education or maybe your current education, do you consider how easy you had it?
You may
be
thinking school was difficult and that you struggled to pass and that you
earned your right to graduation. However, this is not what is meant by easy,
but did you ever consider the
certification
of your teachers and that you may be obtaining education from a reliable source
and
what
a blessing that can be. Maybe you think
back and can relate to not having the best teachers
but
what about your school and class room? The fact alone that you can say you had
a school,
much
less a classroom, is something many people around the world cannot say. These
are just a
few
small examples that around 263 million children around the world are affected
by (“Education Data Release: One in...”). These people deserve the same
educational opportunities
that
you or I deserve because education is a human right that should not be withheld
from
anybody,
but the question remains what are you going to do to help them?
Education has been around for as
long as humans have been but has greatly improved since the first lesson was
taught. A few thousand or so years ago most of education was done through
demonstration for almost every subject, some subjects included agriculture and
hunting. While teaching through demonstration was a very effective teaching
method a more innovated way of teaching was paving the way for future
generations to learn, written scripts. Not only did their way of learning
change but also their environment, the farm land became a class room, the
pitchfork a writing utensil, and the dirt became the paper. Quickly combining
demonstration with this new form of teaching using written scripts was the next
step in improving education. Over time what scripts were written on evolved
into more effective and efficient ways of relaying information. Clay tablets
would become scrolls, scrolls turned into parchment paper, parchment papers
turned into books, books were discussed on chalkboards, chalkboards have been
replaced today by erasable whiteboards (Gray, P). Education has been around as long as humans
have been, and it has improved vastly in a short amount of time, but if education
is limited or non-existent in some places how will education be improved?
Lack of education impacts every
aspect of society from the basic community to the whole world, however the two
that suffer the worst effects are nations and the world. in sub-Saharan Africa one in every
three children including adolescents and youth are out of school (“Education
Data Release: One in...”).
In this country girls are more likely to be excluded than boys for every 100
boys of primary school age out of school, there are 123 girls denied the
right to education.(1) Around the world data highlights a gulf between
out-of-school rates in the world’s poorest and richest countries, with an
upper-secondary out-of-school rate of 59% across the world’s low-income
countries, compared to just 6% in high-income countries(1). This means that
there is a correlation showing that the lower income a country has, the higher
percentage of secondary children not attending school. They found that
countries with high income had the opposite effect and showed the correlation
between education and income (“Education Data Release: One in...”). Poverty is a direct
result of poor education or vice versa because due to children not receiving a
proper education they can not adequately provide for their families and are
instead dropped out of school and forced to work. The lack of schooling and poor education has negative
effects on the population and country. The children leave school without
having acquired the basics, which greatly impedes the social and economic
development of these countries (“Right to Education: Situation around
the world.”). A major
social, effect poor education has on society is conflict within nations. With
conflicts occurring around the world, nearly 61 million children have had their
education stopped or disrupted due to war and combat (Rueckkert). Conflict mainly affects
education due to the fact that while in conflict governments are not able to
function properly and therefore not able to provide quality education.
Unfortunately, when these countries receive aid, continuing children’s
education is not a priority (1). For example, less than half of the world’s
refugee children are enrolled in school and less than 3% of global humanitarian
assistance was focused on education in 2016 (1) Staggering statistics also show that not
only is poor education across the world but here in the US:
nearly 750 million
people around the world are unable to read or write however, the
lack of education does not only pertain to low income countries but even
affects the United States. 890,000 high
school students drop out before graduating, this is the equivalent to a student
dropping out of high school every 35 seconds. This goes to show that lack of
education has roots in every country around the world. (“The Education Crisis.”)
There are many examples of this
epidemic throughout the world, felt by millions of adults and children. Fifty-nine million children of primary school age are being denied an
education, and around 65 million adolescents do not have access to a secondary
school (Watson 1). In one of three countries, less than three quarters of teachers are
trained to national standards, resulting in 130 million children enrolled in
school who are not even learning the basics (1). These are just some of the
results of poor education equipment and staff that lead to millions of children
to not attend school. There are a range
of barriers that prevent individuals from receiving a quality education. Some
examples include lack of education funding, poor teachers, and no classroom;
many low-income countries rely on foreign aid to fund their education system,
and many teachers do not mean national standards of teaching (Rueckkert 1). Imagine not having a classroom to study in but out in a field on a
hot summer day, this is the life for many children for example, In Malawi,
there are an average of 130 children per classroom in grade 1(1). Gender is one
of the biggest if not the biggest reasons children are denied an education with
over 132 million young women around the world are not currently enrolled in
school (1). This is the largest group of unschooled people making up 54% of the non-schooled population in the world (“Right to Education: Situation
around the world.”).
Distance is another barrier
preventing many children from attending school. Our typical school day normally
includes waking up around 7:00 AM having an hour to get ready and be at school
after eating a warm breakfast. After driving to school, we sit in our class
room and learn but, do you ever complain that it is to early or maybe that you
live to far or even that it was a dangerous trip? The answer for most of us is
no however, for many children around the world this is their reality. Imagine
waking up at 5:00 AM to not eat any breakfast or drive to school but to walk (Rueckkert). You start walking for three long hours in the wilderness and barren
lands not knowing if you are going to be taken by men or attacked by an animal
(1). Then after school you make the same journey back home in the dark and
repeat every day for years (1). The lack of learning materials is a serious problem when trying to
learn, how are children to learn if not with paper, boards, and books? In
Cameroon, there are 11 primary school students for every reading textbook and
13 for every mathematics textbook in grade 2; there are numerous barriers that
inhibit learning around the world but just these few make it incredibly
difficult to learn and is the sad reality many people face (1).
Education
systems are providing inadequate education to individuals around the world
through poor curriculum classes and crumbling schools, but the question is what
are we doing to solve this crisis. The
problem of poor education is a serious matter which deserves serious attention
and a solution. The United Nations has taken to this by issuing the
International Day of Education on January 24 to raise awareness for the need of
education (Rueckkert, P.).
The United Nations did this because they believe that governments and nations
are not doing everything possible to ensure their people get the best available
education (1). The United Nations called out these nations to step up and help
because they deem it unacceptable that a basic human right such as education is
not accessible to nearly 262 million children (1). Another organization formed
to help solve poor education is the ECW which stands for Education Cannot Wait (1). Their goal is to provide
education for children in emergencies by asking the most powerful financial
countries in the world to contribute to a fund for education (1). Their goal
has been somewhat met with around 200 million dollars being raised so far and
funding school for 1.5 million children located in Chad, Yemen, Uganda,
Afghanistan and Syria (1).
Governments should use a competitive career and pay structure
to retain the best teachers and to encourage them to earn enough to provide for
their family (10 Steps for Solving the Global Learning Crisis). This would
encourage more people to be teachers, which in turn would provide children with
better education to help grow the economy (1). This solution could work because
currently teachers in poor areas are uncertain of their next paycheck and this
discourages them from working in this profession (1). One prime example of this
is a teacher who teaches under a tree in a mobile school in Turkana, Kenya (1).
Ewesit lives a life that most can not fathom and shows the struggles of
teaching:
“I have 115 students. They all live the nomadic life. I love
my people and I don’t want them to continue
being illiterate. In 2008 to 2010, we were paid. And then since 2010 up until
now, we haven’t been paid. We still have hope. Maybe we are going
to be paid. We just continue with our teaching because we want to assist our
people. I love my people and I don’t want them to continue
being illiterate" (10 Steps for Solving the Global Learning Crisis).
This is the sad reality
that countless teachers around the world struggle with and is one of the many
problems that need to be addressed in order to advance education around the
world (1).
Camus's belief of absurdity is the
belief that life has no meaning, and that things are meaningless. If we apply
this belief to education, we can clearly see that education can be meaningless
in some cases but also beneficial in some as well. The absurd thing about
education is starting in kindergarten we are trained to raise our hands and to
think a certain way only learning certain subjects all the way to high school
(First). We are taught useless lessons on things that are not applicable in the
real world and only focus on standard testing to advance to the next grade.
These tests that only measure a person's strength in a few distinct areas
disregarding the rest of that person's gifts and abilities (1). If you place
poorly on your college entrance standard test then you are far less likely to
be accepted into college to gain a degree, which is absurd (1). After going to
school for 13 years you then must pay an expensive tuition for four more years
for just a bachelor's degree and is even more time and money if you go into a
specific degree plan (1).
Camus would believe that the
education system today is absurd for useless information and topics that they
teach in the education (1). Education is a basic human right and it is absurd
that school districts are funded based on surrounding tax area because the
wealthier districts are able to better fund their schools and their programs.
While, poorer areas are unable to meet the same standards due to the
surrounding area's taxes and therefore have lower grade facilities and teachers
(1). These teachers being payed less than those in higher income areas are
uninspired to teach and therefore lead students through school with no
motivation (1). Camus would believe that education should not be at a higher
standard for some students and at a lower standard for others based on where
they live (1). This leads students to not prosper and to ultimately drop out of
high school and start low paying jobs which in turn leads them to find more
profitable ways of living such as illegal activities (1). However, some go
through school for 25 plus years of their life and gather a debt that they will
be paying off for the rest of their life (1). They will have spent one-fourth
of their life in school getting a job that they will hate, to pay off their
debt the rest of their lives until they die (1). This is another side of the
absurdity of education that is known as the rat race which matches up with
Camus's ideals. Camus would see that the current education system is absurd and
needs extensive improving to help better educate students (1).
Education is a basic human right
that is being denied to many people throughout the world due to poor education
systems. It is imperative that this world problem of poor education be fixed as
soon as possible due to the fact of its vital impact on future generations.
Education has been around as long as humans have been and has continuously
improved but how will it continue to improve If many countries do not make
education a priority or have poor education systems that fail to teach their
children? The lack of education affects every part of society from communities
to the economies of nations around the world. Education is lacking around the
world, failing millions of people through various means inhibiting them to
better their lives. Education should not be restricted or given in different
levels of quality to others but equal to all, but it is not and the systems in
place are failing millions around the world; the question we are left with is
what are you going to do to fix it?
Works Cited
“Education Data Release: One in Every Five
Children, Adolescents and Youth is Out of School.” (2018, March 22). Retrieved
from http://uis.unesco.org/en/news/education-data-release-one-every-five-children-adolescents-and-youth-out-school
First, Ethan J. "The Absurdity of the
U.S. Educational System." Tremr, 28 May 2017, www.tremr.com/ethan-first/the-absurdity-of-the-us-educational-system.
Gray, P.
(2008, August 20). “A Brief History of Education.” Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/200808/brief-history-education
“Right
to Education: Situation around the world.” (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.humanium.org/en/right-to-education/
Rueckkert, P.
(2019, January 24). “10 Barriers to Education Around the World”. Retrieved from
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-barriers-to-education-around-the-world-2/
“The
Education Crisis.” (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.buildon.org/about/the-education-crisis/
Watson, K. (2016, July 26). “9 Facts to
Know About Education Around the World”. Retrieved from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/9-facts-about-education/
"10 Steps for
Solving the Global Learning Crisis." World Education Blog,
14 Apr. 2014, gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/10-steps-for-solving-the-global-learning-crisis/.
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