Transcriber: Åłïçë Yöøn Reviewer: David DeRuwe
Did you know that in 2015,
the total number of illiterate adults reached 745.1 million?
Yes. 745.1 million.
That is more than twice the population in Egypt.
Did you know that around the world, 59 million children of primary school age,
are being denied an education,
and almost 65 million adolescents are without access to secondary school?
A high number of children and adults don’t have access to education
for many different reasons:
One, they might not have the means to pay for their education;
two, there isn’t a school in their neighborhood;
and three, they have to take part in vocational or labor activities
to bring income into the family.
“Quality education” is a term that is used very widely in our everyday conversations.
We hear it on the radio, we see in newspapers,
and we might even hear our parents discussing it,
but what does this phrase really mean?
What does it mean when I say that I am advocating for quality education
or that every single child deserves quality education?
Many people believe that the definition of quality education
is an excellent school or educational institution.
This is why many schools and education institutions
say that we provide quality education.
And this is correct, but only at the surface level.
Quality education is much deeper than that.
Quality education is deeper than the fact
that you can produce brilliant results from your students,
or that you boast of a high number of graduates.
According to ASCD, the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development,
quality education is one that focuses on the whole child:
the social, emotional, mental, physical, and cognitive development of each student,
regardless of gender, race, ethnicity,
socioeconomic status, or geographic location.
It prepares the child for life, not just for testing.
I remember that at a very young age, I’ve always wanted to help.
I wanted to be the reason someone’s situation improved,
the reason why there was a smile on that person’s face.
When I was in year six at the age of ten, I volunteered along with friends
to teach at a primary school in Makoko, Lagos, Nigeria.
For some context,
this school was situated in a very dilapidated environment.
We sat there a couple days
and the subjects that we focused on were math, English, and science.
I must confess that the opportunity to teach in Makoko was an eye-opening,
mind-shifting game-changer to my ten-year-old self.
I had a firsthand glimpse of what the poor education system looked like,
and the experience exposed me to many life lessons.
I learned things I wouldn’t have been able to learn if not for that experience.
It was an unforgettable one.
In fact, I still look back on it sometimes, and I get teary-eyed.
I learned that education should be a priority.
I learned that there is power in the fact you can pass knowledge
on to one person who passes it on to another person.
Most importantly, I learned that children love to learn.
In fact, children really, really want to learn,
but - and here is the “but” - they don’t have the opportunity to.
And when the opportunity does present itself, it’s subpar.
So what exactly is the problem?
Why are some children spending all their time working in a shop,
rather than in school learning?
Why is it that almost every day when we take a drive out,
we see young children on the streets hawking
instead of being in a school broadening their minds,
or the fact that when a child even gets to go to school,
it’s in a rundown building that isn’t sanitary, neither is it safe.
Do we not see a problem with the fact
that around 670 million youth worldwide lack basic math and literacy skills?
The United Nations says, and I quote,
that education enables upward socioeconomic mobility
and is a key to escaping poverty.
Lack of access to education
is one of the major reasons why poverty is passed from one generation to another.
Global Citizen says that increasing access to education
can equalize communities and help to provide financial stability to some.
A lot of families live in poverty,
so they have to make the very important decision
on whether to send their children to school or pay for basic necessities,
and most times the latter choice is made, which is very understandable.
Hence, some countries across the sub-Saharan Africa,
where some of the world's poorest children live,
made a combined effort to abolish school fees.
Statistics from Global Citizen
state that while the ratio of students completing lower secondary school
increased in the region from 23% in 1990 to 42% in 2014,
enrollment is still low compared to the 75% global ratio,
which simply means that school still remains too expensive
for the poorest of families.
In many areas where there is a lot of crisis
and they are still underdeveloped,
unaffordable private schools may be the only option.
So now many people have started to argue
that free schools should be allocated in some countries
where there are no schools or where the schools are not in good shape.
There are three key pillars that support quality education:
One, access to quality teachers;
two, use of quality learning tools and professional development,
which includes access to technology;
and three, the establishment of safe
and supportive quality learning environments.
These three criteria must be met.
The concept behind us achieving quality education
is that it must be a collaborative effort:
The governments, the private sector,
corporate organizations and all citizens have a role in achieving this goal.
But the first step would be to acknowledge the fact that quality education
is an important part of sustainable development -
to not be blindsided by our own personal comfort, but to be aware.
For us to not think that because this does not directly affect us,
we just sit down and do nothing.
We must remember that without quality education,
the citizens do not grow to their fullest potential,
and this snowballs until society is stagnant.
For us to not think that because this does not directly affect us,
we just sit down and do nothing.
Desmond Tutu said:
“Inclusive, good-quality education
is the foundation for dynamic and equitable societies.”
We must remember that without good quality education,
the citizens do not grow to their fullest potential,
and this snowballs until a society is stagnant.
Thank you.