Archive for category: Education

Information and stories on education.

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Education in Cote d’Ivoire

Education in Cote d’Ivoire is present and plentiful for those who can afford it. While there are free public schools available to Ivoirians, families are still required to pay for books, uniforms and supplies.

Additionally, over two-thirds of native Ivoirians work in agriculture, and children are often needed as part of the work force. The unfortunate reality is that most students who receive a proper education in Cote d’Ivoire are not natives of the country.

Zeina Jebeile, a current student at Boston University who grew up in Cote d’Ivoire but was not born there, says that the private school education she received was comparable to the education received by her friends in the United States. “We learned a lot of similar things, it was just in a different language,” Zeina explained. She continued to clarify that public schools are only available to those born in the Ivory Coast, and people like her who were born in other countries must attend expensive private schools.

Due to the French colonization of Cote d’Ivoire the vast majority of schools run on the French system and have the exact same curriculum as high schools in France. While being a native of the Ivory Coast holds the benefit of free primary education, students have a much higher chance of attending university if they graduate from one of the French, American or Lebanese private schools.

Due to the high cost of schooling, “not everybody gets access to education, and it’s sad because a lot of them are really interested in doing so,” Zeina explained. “Education is about $7,000 a year for high school, which is kind of ridiculous, but that’s what you get for the ‘French Prestige.’” In order to combat this, small tutoring centers have popped up throughout the country. The centers operate on a volunteer basis, with classes usually taught by Americans and Europeans travelling abroad to teach languages.

Language is a problem within the private schools as well. Zeina, who attended a French school, said that there is little emphasis placed on learning English. “You have the option between German, Italian and Spanish…. And the English is very, very basic. In the last year of high school they literally teach you things like ‘my dog’s name is Bobo.’”

Despite her classmates’ limited knowledge of the English language, a diploma from a French private school almost certainly leads to an acceptance into a French University, as well as easier access to a French visa. Those who graduate from Ivoirian Schools must either be the very top of their class or come from wealthy families if they wish to continue their education in college. “The system is very limiting for most people who live in the Ivory Coast,” Zeina admitted. “At the end of the day if you don’t have money you don’t really get access to education.”

The Ivory Coast has a population of 15 million, approximately one third of which are non-Ivoirians. Out of the 128,318 students enrolled in high school, 42 percent attend private school. In addition to high poverty rates among Ivoirians and the necessity for child labor, there are other factors which can prevent children from receiving the best education possible.

Cote d’Ivoire has suffered through two civil wars in the past 15 years. Political conflict instigated outbreaks of violence in 2002, leading to a five-year civil war that killed and displaced thousands. Just three years after the call for peace, violence broke out once again leading to a second civil war that lasted from 2010-2011. The physical and emotional damage inflicted upon residents of the Ivory Coast during these wars contribute to days of school missed.

–Taylor Lovett

Sources: Interview with Zeina, Our Africa, University of Szeged, Kuno Library
Photo: Unocha

Public Education in Latin America

The World Bank reports that low teacher effectiveness causes children attending public schools in Latin America and the Caribbean to miss the equivalent of one school day every week. Public education in Latin America is plagued by teacher absenteeism, low pay and poor school leadership; all contribute to this troubling inefficiency.

Latin America has enjoyed significant growth in recent years, paving the way for the reduction of poverty and inequality, yet in order for the region’s economic engine to continue running efficiently, its youth must have access to educational resources.

The recent World Bank study, “Great Teachers: How to Raise Student Learning in Latin America and the Caribbean,” draws on data from over 14,000 classrooms in seven countries in the region. It seeks to determine how teachers, who make up 20 percent of Latin America’s labor force, can improve their performance given the significant role they play in regional economic development.

Barbara Burns, the author of the report, states that “virtually all countries in the region appear trapped in a low-level equilibrium of low standards for entry into teaching, relatively low and undifferentiated salaries, weak instruction in the classroom and poor educational outcomes … moving to a high-level equilibrium will be difficult but it is an effort that the region can’t afford to postpone.”

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, a standardized assessment of students on a global scale, reveals that Latin American and Caribbean children fall short in the middle-income category, yet researchers estimate that if Mexico raised its PISA performance to the level attained by the average German student, the country’s gross domestic product could jump two percentage points.

The World Bank publication determines that public schools in Latin America need better and younger teachers. Teacher salaries in the region are consistently lower than salaries in other professional fields, meaning motivation can be lacking. Additionally, data from university entrance exams show that although students pursuing education degrees receive high levels of formal education, they have been found to possess weaker cognitive skills.

The good news is that teacher quality has become a major development focus of Latin American countries in recent years, while researchers and academics are communicating just how essential education is to continued economic development and poverty reduction.

– Kayla Strickland

Sources: Kansas City infoZine, Plano Informativo
Photo: Plano Informativo

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The Link Between Poverty and Education

It is a well-documented fact that children from low-income households are significantly less likely to be successful than their middle and upper class counterparts. Studies have repeatedly shown a link between poverty and education. Family income is one of the strongest predictors available for measuring success, both in the classroom and later in life.

With fewer resources and less of a focus on education at home, children growing up in poverty are behind from the very beginning. Household stresses from living in poverty build up in the child, making it extremely difficult to concentrate on education.

Even if they are going to school regularly, children in poverty often fail to get an adequate education due to the stress of destitution. Since they have such a difficult time in the classroom, the kids fall into the poverty trap, in which their lack of education prevents any rise on the social ladder.

Until recently, it was unclear exactly what biological process made that the case. However, recent studies have pointed towards working memory as the key psychological factor linking poverty and education, specifically in academic achievement.

 

Working Memory Links Poverty and Education

 

Working memory is a “temporary storage mechanism” that lets us hold information and facts in our head for short-term usage and manipulation. The process of using working memory is central for reading, problem-solving and learning new languages.

A number of studies have shown that children with the best working memories also tend to have the highest test scores and the best grades. Children in poverty consistently have a less developed working memory than those above the poverty line.

With a dearth of educational resources in poor countries, an underdeveloped working memory often goes unnoticed and untreated.

This means that in addition to dealing with stress at home, children in poverty also have trouble remembering basic facts and instructions at school. Unable to stay on task, and struggling to keep up, their failure at school only adds to their stress level.

What’s more, a study published in the Development Science journal showed that, “Stress in early childhood negatively affects a child’s working memory in adulthood.”

The problems for children in poverty become even bigger problems in their adult lives. While a poor working memory for a child only means bad grades, it spells unemployment and crushing poverty for an adult.

The answer must come well before adulthood. With properly trained educators, an underdeveloped working memory can be easily spotted and rectified before it becomes a larger problem.

The lack of a proper education makes up a major part of the poverty trap — a phenomenon in which people living in poverty cannot rise up due to scarce resources, depression, lack of opportunity and other issues. The poverty trap can start before the child ever enters the classroom, and it has long-term psychological consequences.

Even from early childhood, poverty can create both a biological obstacle and an inescapable trap that collectively reduces the likelihood for academic and monetary success.

– Sam Hillestad

Sources: PsyBlog, PNAS

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The Status of Orphans in Developing Countries

Losing a parent is undoubtedly a traumatic experience for any child. It is an experience that will follow that child, likely playing a large role in their development and the opportunities they will have later in life.

Globally, 153 million children are orphans; the number of orphans in developing countries is enormous: 132 million. Here are 5 facts about the 132 million orphaned children in developing nations.

1. The large amount of orphans in developing countries is a result of many negative circumstances. Among these are natural disasters, famine and war. However, AIDS is the most significant reason children in a developing country lose their parents. In 2007 alone, AIDS left 15 million children orphaned after one or more of their parents passed away from the disease.

More than 24 percent of orphaned children had parents taken from them by AIDS. In 2008, 430,000 children were infected with the disease as well.

2. Asia holds the largest number of orphaned children, at 71 million – India alone is home to 31 million orphans. This is followed by Africa, which harbors 59 million.

3. Each day, 39,000 children are forced from their homes alone because of the death of a parent, family illness or abuse and abandonment.

4. After losing parents, circumstances for children drastically decline. They typically lack basic needs, like food and shelter. Education, however, is the first to be sacrificed, especially for older children who stop attending school to care for their younger siblings. These children try to provide for themselves and their younger siblings, often endangering their health.

The International Labor Organization reports that orphans are often found working in commercial agriculture, as well as street vending and housekeeping. Seven percent of orphans are stolen and sold into the sex industry.

5. The number of orphans is growing. Predictions for the next five to 10 years show the trend moving upward. By 2020, more than 200 million children could find themselves orphaned. This is almost three percent of the world population.

Despite the harsh reality of being orphaned in a developing country, it’s important to note that the rate of children becoming orphans in developing nations is finally slowing. The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child has become the most rapidly and widely ratified human rights treaty in world history. It lays down a set of rights for each child and, as nations struggle to bring much needed care and protection to their orphans, provides pathways and options for each nation to do so.

– Rachel Davis

Sources: Humanium, Moju Project, UNICEF
Photo: The Guardian

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Women in Science: Developing Countries

The role women play in the world’s technology and science movements has become increasingly prominent. Years ago, this field was primarily only led by men. Although education for women in general has improved in recent years, it still remains a problem around the globe.

A UNICEF study that researched the barriers to primary education revealed that 75 percent of children who are out of primary schools have mothers who did not receive any education, due in large part to poverty. In Asia, the Middle East and Africa, that number has risen to 80 percent of children who are out of primary school. This project reveals the importance of getting girls into education and supporting them in doing so.

In developing countries, women play an essential role in making change to communities. Mahatma Ghandi once said, “When a man is educated, an individual is educated; when a woman is educated, a family and a country are educated.” Historically, women have played a minor role in science-related fields, but many countries are making efforts to change that precedent.

Supporting women in science through funding, programs and scholarships is essential to building the next generation of women leaders and increasing science literacy in developing countries. Here are three nations creating increased opportunities for women in science, agriculture and technology:

1. South Sumatra (Indonesia):

Indonesia’s national program, Warintek Multipurpose Community Telecenters, focuses on promoting sustainable development through science and technology for women farmers located in South Sumatra. The program provides a variety of informational kiosks, available in both distance and in-person forms, for women to utilize regarding any farming needs of their local areas. In large part, the education aims to provide information on successful marketing and sustainable farming.

2. Burkina Faso:

Through the UNESCO Chair, Women, Science, and Development in Africa, the country is working to provide informal programs on health, water supplies, management and agriculture. University professors and students work in conjunction with women in communities, discussing topics and building relationships. The country has also connected with universities in other countries.

3. China:

The Women and Gender Development through the College of Rural Development at China Agricultural University is working to promote discussions on gender roles in agriculture and farming.

– Julia Thomas

Sources: Inter Academic Council, UNESCO, China Agricultural University, TWAS
Photo: Unesco

How Art Education Can Help Africa

The value of art education is constantly under debate, with classes in the arts often pulled first from underfunded curricula. Research, however, has shown the value of educating people in these subjects. The arts provide physiological and economic benefits, and some African countries are working to encourage creative pursuits in their populations.

The World Health Organization’s definition of health includes more than just a lack of disease. Creative endeavors can improve a person’s mood and emotions. Simply watching the activity can provide benefits, too.

A more tangible benefit includes a higher participation in school. This ranges from increased attendance and participation, to increased teamwork skills among peers. People also use the arts to provide students with an alternative to drugs.

This value in education spills over into the workforce. People who engage in the arts are better at creative thinking and have a greater ability to adapt to new situations and visualize alternatives.

The arts are also helpful in fighting health problems. Many cultures have traditions of using pictures, stories, dances or chants to fight disease. Creative activities reduce chronic stress and lessen depression, both of which can become contributing factors to heart disease and diabetes. These issues are already prevalent in the U.S. and are increasingly becoming an issue in the developing world.

The arts, as they are commonly grouped together, include music, creative movement, writing and visual arts.

Studies have shown that music decreases anxiety and helps restore emotional balance, as well as control pain. Learning the notation involved in reading music has also been shown to increase students’ math skills.

Visual arts have been shown to help people deal with difficult realities, such as a cancer diagnosis. They help with emotional expression and improve reading skills.

Other studies have shown that creative movement, such as dance, improves mobility and decreases stress. Some participants show improved cognition.

Writing has been shown to help people control their emotions, as well as to control pain levels temporarily. One study showed that writing decreased the CD4+ lymphocyte, which is associated with HIV.

Many places are picking up on the value of art. In September, the Africa Utopia art festival will take place in Somaliland, giving African performers a venue to express their art. The African Metropolis film festival was held recently, and it included six urban films from directors of different cities. The cities represented were Abidjan, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi.

Other groups are allowing youth to get their first taste of creative expression. In Belltown, Kenya, there is a gallery of photographs by Meg Stacker. While she took the pictures herself, many of the pieces are overlaid with six word memoirs by the subjects, giving them an opportunity to express themselves as well.

Other students in Gambia had the opportunity to photograph their homes. A UK photography student held a workshop for students, most of whom had never operated a camera before. In this way, students were able to express their views of their homeland.

On top of the mental and physiological benefits, many students in the U.S. want to see more art education. Art education would provide the same benefits and appeal to African students, as well.

– Monica Roth

Sources: US National Library of Medicine, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Atlantic, GHAFLA, Goethe, Fast Company, Seattle Globalist, The Artery
Photo: Kickstarter

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10,000 Women

10,000 women
Women and girls make up 70 percent of the 1 billion people worldwide who live on less than $1 per day, yet women produce half of the world’s food, work two-thirds of the world’s working hours and play a crucial role in their local communities’ economies and in the health and welfare of their families.

Empowering women through education — especially on the topic of business and entrepreneurship — is critical to the fight against world poverty. Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women program is one impressive initiative that is playing a significant role in this fight, working to provide women entrepreneurs around the world with a life-changing business and management education.

Launched in 2008, the Goldman Sachs Foundation set out with the goal to provide 10,000 under-served women across 43 countries — including Egypt, China, India and Brazil — with entrepreneurial and business skills, as well as with mentoring and networking opportunities.

10,000 Women was founded on research carried out by Sachs — Womenomics and Women Hold Up Half the Sky — that indicated that investing in women can have a significant impact on the gross domestic product (GDP) growth. The finding was an impressive forecast: the per capita income in 15 major developing countries would increase by 14 percent by 2020 and by 20 percent by 2030 if women’s wages would be equal to those of men’s.

The program 10,000 Women was built on the belief that partnerships between public, private and nonprofit sectors are essential to bringing about change through improved education opportunities for women. The program works at the ground level with more than 80 academic and non-governmental organizations, as well as more than 30 of the world’s top-tier business schools. Partners at all levels of the operation contribute their valuable time, mentorship and expertise necessary to implementing the locally designed certificate programs.

For each country in which the 10,000 Women program is launched, partnership is essential. Management and selection committees are formed in each country by bringing together people from the local business schools, business community and partner schools.

In some cases, a representative from Sachs will also join a selection committee. Together, committees in each country select the women who will participate in the program — women whose financial or practical situations would have prevented them from receiving such an education opportunity.

The programs, which are culturally appropriate, flexible and intensive, range from five weeks to six months and are designed to provide each female scholar with an individualized business education. Courses range from marketing and business plan writing to accounting e-commerce. Frequent guest lecturers and business plan competitions add to the exceptionality of the program, which continues to support its participants long after completion through networking, mentorship and support services.

To date, 10,000 Women has reached well beyond its titular goal, and its graduates have reported immediate and sustained business growth. Tracking its graduates’ success, the organization has reported that 30 months after completing the education program, 82 percent of graduates have increased their income and 71 percent have added new jobs. Perhaps more impressively, nine out of 10 participants of the program continue to utilize their newfound business skills by educating, mentoring and supporting other women.

10,000 Women will continue to invest not only in women, children, families and communities, but also, subsequently, in the entire future of our global economy.

– Elizabeth Nutt

Sources: UN Women, Global Citizen, Goldman Sachs, Women and Girls Fund
Photo:

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Three Influences of Poverty

Poverty has many causes. While some factors exacerbate poverty, there are five predominant causes of poverty: social inequality, conflict and political instabilities, education, debt and environmental conditions. Here is a closer examination of three of these causes.

Social Inequality

The United Nations Social Policy and Development Division reports that “inequalities in income distribution and access to productive resources, basic social services, opportunities, markets, and information have been on the rise worldwide, often causing and exacerbating poverty.” Countries where inequality is rampant display poor social indicators for human development, insecurity and anxiety. Inequality keeps the poor from moving out of their socioeconomic status.

Inequality limits access to opportunities that can provide the means to escape poverty. In a speech by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kahn explains that Adam Smith, often considered the founder of modern economics, “recognized clearly that a poor distribution of wealth could undermine the free market system.” An example of this is the former apartheid government in South Africa.

Apartheid laws assign rights and space to individuals on the basis of race. In South Africa this meant that while one group was persecuted and forced into poverty, the other group was given access to opportunities that allowed them to advance economically. This increased the gap between economic classes and the amount of people in poverty.

Environmental Conditions

Environmental degradation is the decline in the quality of the natural environment through its atmosphere, land, oceans and lakes. Indigenous groups are among the worsetaffected by such degradation. These groups often depend on the environment to survive and easily fall into poverty when that environment is harmed. A major cause of environmental degradation is climate change.

One of the outcomes of climate change is hunger. The changing climate is responsible for the destruction of harvests and other resources critical to survival. Michael Oppenheimer, professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University explains, “crop yields have detectably changed. As time goes on the poor countries that are in the warmer and drier parts of the planet will feel the crop yield decreases early.” In Oxfam’s report Suffering The Science: Climate Change, People, and Poverty, the organization warns that “Without immediate action 50 years of development gains in poor countries will be permanently lost.”

Recent U.N. reports on climate change noted that “for the first time” that climate change is a threat to human security. The UN notes that the increased migration and the decrease in food are conditions that lead to conflict. The reports warn also that unless the issue is addressed, “nobody would be immune to climate change.” The report reads, “Climate change can indirectly increase risks of violent conflicts in the form of civil war and inter-group violence.” Environmental degradation can not only result in poverty, but can also lead to war.

Lack of Education

Education has lifted people out of poverty and empowered communities to grow economically. A lack of education could maintain or create poverty. Senior Fellow of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Jared Bernstein explains, “economists may disagree a lot on policy, but we all agree on the ‘education premium’—the earnings boost associated with more education.”

According to the Network for international policies and cooperation in education and training, a main priority for poverty reduction is primary education. In developed countries almost all children have access to primary education, while in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa approximately 40 percent of children do not attend primary school due to poverty and a lack of access to education. Many people living in poverty in undeveloped countries must give up an education in order to make “a minimal living.” Furthermore, many families cannot afford school fees to send their children to school. This limits skill development and opportunities to escape poverty and create generational poverty.

There are many situations that lead to poverty. As we understand the causes of poverty, we can eradicate it more strategically. These are only three of many causes that must be understood to successfully meet the goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. We created poverty, so we can eliminate it as well.

– Christopher Kolezynski

Sources: Poverty at Large, The Borgen Project, Oxfam, The American Prospect, The Guardian, NORRAG
Photo: The Daily Star

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The 5 W’s of Rural Morocco

Who?

Over 30 million people live in Morocco. The population is disproportionately young, and 4 million of the people are impoverished. Almost half, or 43 percent, of the population lives in rural areas. The rural population is made up of “people engaged in artisanal fishing, landless people, rural wage earners, unemployed young people and women in all categories.”

What?

Morocco has an income disparity between the richest 20 percent and the poorest 20 percent. The income disparity between rural and urban areas is also very significant. The poverty rate is almost 15 percent in rural areas, but in urban areas, the poverty rate is a third of that. Furthermore, illiteracy rates are nearly twice as high in rural areas as in urban areas.

Between 2003 and 2004, 12 percent of the rural population was underweight; this is double that of the urban population.

Maternal mortality rate is 130 per 100,000 live births, and the maternal mortality rate is almost twice as high in rural areas. A very small number of rural children receive an education. Compared to the 44 percent of urban children who attend secondary school, 16 percent of girls and 22 percent of boys attend secondary school. Amongst this percentage, over 300,000 children drop out every year, and almost half of the children must repeat a year.

However, the status of Morocco is rapidly improving. From 2000 to 2010, the poor population decreased by nearly half. A slowed population growth, improved economic growth, infrastructure development, microcredit and contributions from non-government organizations have reduced poverty rates.

When?

From the 1990s until the early 2000s, the Moroccan government engaged in economic reform and deregulation of the economy. Over 100 companies were privatized by 1998, resulting in a significant growth in the country’s gross domestic product. However, the population in rural areas still experiences high rates of poverty, which results in high levels of migration to urban areas.

Where?

The high poverty rates, as evidenced, are seen mostly in rural areas. Coastal regions tend to have lower poverty rates, while Morocco’s mountain and south regions have the highest poverty rates.

Why?

As detailed by the gaps in education and maternal mortality rate statistics, the cycle of poverty rages on in rural Morocco. According to the Carnegie Papers, Morocco faces high illiteracy, and its economic growth is inconsistent. If the economy continues to improve and extend development programs to the rural population, the rates of poverty will decline. Should access to education or economic opportunity decrease, rates of poverty, particularly in rural areas, will increase.

– Tara Wilson 

Sources: Rural Poverty Portal, UNICEF, Third World Centre for Water Management, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Photo: AdventureCompany

Examining Reading Skills in Brazil

Researchers from the Frontiers scientific community recently conducted a study in Brazil to examine the cause of low reading skills in Brazil’s young children. The study tested 106 children ranging from ages six to eight. The study found that poor memory skills are closely correlated with lower reading skills.

The 106 children tested came from a variety of backgrounds. Half of them live below the poverty line, half above. Researchers intentionally split participants this way to determine the impact of socioeconomic status on basic reading skills. After testing the children, researchers found that memory skills had the most severe impact on young readers, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

The testing consisted of 12 cognitive assessments. Researchers were able to determine that memory skills correlate with reading abilities based on the fact that the children who were evaluated by their teachers as “poor readers” scored the lowest on the Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility sections of the test. The other three components of the assessment were Interference Suppression, Selective Attention and Response Inhibition.

Higher level readers, on the other hand, consistently performed better on the Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility sections of the test. The difference between high and low level readers’ results were not as significant in the three other areas. Therefore, the examiners conducting the test were able to hypothesize that memory and reading skills are related somehow.

A strong memory allows a child to concentrate on an activity for an extended period of time, which may account for children with strong memories who find reading easier at a young age. These children have a greater attention span and can focus on learning how to read for a longer period of time than children with weaker memories.

In countries where student to teacher ratios are poor and classrooms are small, the potential for distractions in the learning environment is very high. Children with strong memories and, therefore, extreme concentration abilities can focus on their studies better than students with less cognitive flexibility.

Unfortunately, distracting conditions are common, meaning that some children inevitably will score lower on reading tests. By providing funding to decrease student to teacher ratios and build more functional classrooms, it is possible to decrease distractions in classroom settings which hinder learning in children with weaker memories. By fixing the classroom environment, educators can solve a seemingly un-fixable problem.

– Emily Walthouse

Sources: Frontiers, Psyblog
Photo: Economist