Embarrassment to Education
The education that some children receive is ruining their lives. There are children all over the world who do not obtain schooling whatsoever, and many more whose educations are extremely minimal. For example, there are 33 million kids in Africa who receive no teaching at all. Even in areas outside of Africa with stronger economies, such as in Juazeiro, Brazil, education is still lacking. Within Juazeiro, the children have to ask if there is going to be school that day, as most days teachers do not show up. Luckily, there are organizations, such as New Futures, which strive to eliminate these situations, by forming free schools for less fortunate children.
According to Vincent Bevins, in Juazeiro, Brazil, the education that children receive is so minimal that only 70% of the children who attend Jose Pereira School leave able to read and write. Bevins says that most teachers in this community do not even show up to work because their jobs are secure and they still make $350 a month, regardless of if they stay at home all day. When they do show up to work, they are unprepared for their lessons, and spend the entire day not teaching anything useful. One of the geography teachers did not even know the cardinal directions! The principal of this school, Maria Olivia Andrade, said, "Around here, there are teachers who can't even read and write”. Situations like these need to be changed; it is unfair that some children have a brighter future because of where they go to school. All children should have the same education no matter what it takes to reach this point. Luckily, the school is making efforts to improve, but they are not trying hard enough.
New Futures organization strives to educate the less fortunate in Cambodia. They are in charge of many small schools throughout the country, as well as a drop in centre for at risk children. They also provide support for the children they teach well into adulthood, by helping them get into college and find jobs. Children normally can not attend school in Cambodia, because they have to help their parents with their family’s farms. New Futures works around this, and hosts their lessons at times that work for Cambodian families. All in all, this organization is giving children more options for their future lives, and building them up to be smarter, more informed people.
All of this information proves that education is an extremely large issue worldwide. People need to wake up and realize that the world is not perfect, and stand up for the less fortunate so they can have the same options as everyone else . We cannot simply continue living in a world where problems like these occur. Education needs to be a non-negotiable right, in order to give children brighter futures.
Works Cited
Bevins, Vincent. Brazil Education Standards Contribute to Learning Crisis Los Angeles Times
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/17/world/la-fg-brazi l-bad-education-20121118
"Facts on Education in Africa." Achieve in Africa. N.p., 14 Apr. 2009.Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
<https://achieveinafrica.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/facts-on-education-in-africa/>.
"March Newsletter." New Futures Organisation. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
http://www.newfuturesorganisation.com/