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Focusing on Education for The Day of the African Child

The day of the African child
Since 1991, The Day of the African Child has been celebrated as an opportunity to advance African children’s rights. The day commemorates African students who were killed by police in a 1976 demonstration in Soweto, South Africa to protest education injustice.

The official theme of this year’s celebration, “Conflict and Crisis in Africa: Protecting All Children’s Rights,” recognizes that conflict, natural disaster and disease currently affect 500 million children worldwide. The Day of the African Child (DAC) events have centered on promoting access to education but this year there was a focus on how access is jeopardized by conflict.

According to the UNICEF All in School initiative, 36 percent of the primary-school age children who are not attending school are prevented by their residence in conflict-affected areas. Overall, this accounts for 59.3 million children. The damage to structures and infrastructure makes it difficult for African children who live in conflict zones to attend school.

According to a recent African Union report, Africa remains the most conflict-prone continent in the world. Approximately 57 million children in the world do not attend school and 30 million of those children are in sub-Saharan Africa. Living in a conflict zone not only makes attending school unsafe but also affects children’s emotional health.

The 2016 DAC celebration took place at more than 100 events worldwide thanks to partnerships with organizations like A World at School, which utilizes a network of global youth ambassadors and faith-based groups to accelerate progress in education.

This year 500 young people from around Africa staged a ‘youth takeover’ at Ethiopia’s Africa Union, in Addis Ababa for the DAC. Youth ambassadors played a key role in the celebration and promoting the message.

The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child provides member states with outlined suggestions for observing the DAC. Their recommendations further push the goals of the celebration by providing outlines of current conflict contexts in Africa, how they impact children and best practice for mitigating the impact.

The importance afforded to three decades of DAC and its worldwide events provides hope for the situation of children across Africa. While the struggles they face are remarkably diverse, more equitable access to education remains a priority.

– Charlotte Bellomy
Photo: Pixabay

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What to Know about Education in Uruguay

Education in Uruguay

Despite being one of the smaller nations of South America, the Oriental Republic of Uruguay boasts some of the most successful education statistics in the continent. In fact, Education in Uruguay boasts statistics among the best in the world.

According to the U.N. Development Program’s Education Index in 2013, Uruguay is “slightly better educated than the average country at 0.71 out of one” while the world’s median is 0.65. The Republic also boasts a 98.36 percent adult literacy rate, making them rank first out of 12th for South America and 33rd in the world’s ranking.

Education is compulsory in Uruguay for students between the ages of six and 11, and free at all levels. Its capital of Montevideo is also the major center for education and the home of the main and only public university: University of the Republic. Across the board, classrooms have a great student per teacher ratio, at 13.8 students per teacher. This assuring statistic has resulted in a greater amount of attention given to pupils in addition to higher grade averages.

The commitment to compulsory education in Uruguay dates back to the 1800s when President José Pedro Varela convinced the government to pass the 1877 Law of Common Education. This key statute instituted a model for public school systems and was made in the image of the French academic system. It created three separate branches – primary, secondary, and university levels. Although president for only one year, Varela’s impact remains influential to the country’s education system.

Uruguay’s commitment to education even goes so far as to become the first country to give free laptops and Wi-Fi connection to every student across the country. In 2009, President Tabaré Vázquez finalized the inaugural project “Plan Ceibal” which gave laptops to all grade school students and their teachers. The project worked in alliance with non-profit One Laptop Per Child, an organization with a mission to distribute low-cost laptops to poor children all over the world.

Education in Uruguay only continues to improve classroom conditions and technologies with each succeeding year. Minister of Education and Culture María Julia Muñoz and American Ambassador to Uruguay Kelly Keiderling recently renewed a Fulbright partnership between the two countries, which will allow teachers to learn modern education methods from their Fulbright scholars.

Muñoz stated that the Ministry of Education and Culture has even increased their contribution to the partnership program from 60,000 dollars to 100,000 dollars, to maintain their marked dedication to the lives of Uruguayan students and teachers.

The continued efforts of Uruguayan leaders will undoubtedly secure the significance of academia as an apex of the Oriental Republic and its culture. Further movements concerning the Education of Uruguay are, therefore, not to be discredited.

– Ashley Morefield

Photo: Flickr

5 Facts About Education in Palestine

Education in PalestineWhile issues that adversely affect education are yet to be fully resolved, programs that benefit education in Palestine show promise for creating a positive, lasting impact on the country. Here are five facts about education in Palestine:

  1. Literacy rates in Palestine are extremely high—even when compared to developed countries. According to the most recent data published in 2014, Palestine has a 96.3 percent literacy rate. The UNDP states that this percentage is, “higher than that of the UNDP 2014 HDI ‘high human development’ category average.” With the constant turmoil and poverty within the Gaza Strip and West Bank, these statistics may come as a surprise to many. Ninety-four percent of women in Palestine are literate (compared to 98.4 percent of men). This is a huge improvement from 1995, when less than 80 percent of women could read and write.
  2. In 2013, only 9.4 percent of children did not complete any level of education in Palestine. The UNDP states that dropout rates among schoolchildren have declined significantly in recent years. Data shows the average amount of schooling for Palestinian children is close to nine years.
  3. Poor infrastructure and lack of funding are major barriers to quality education in Palestine. Over 280 schools were damaged in Gaza due to the 51-day conflict between Israel and Palestine in 2014. According to UNICEF, the infrastructure problem has yet to be fully resolved largely due to sanctions on the transport of certain construction materials. In addition to infrastructure damage, overcrowding presents a major challenge to the Palestinian education system. Overcrowded schools impede upon the quality of education that children receive on a daily basis.
  4. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is working to improve education within the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. While the West Bank offers adequate primary education, the UNRWA is working to improve secondary education within the area. In the Gaza Strip, the agency is expanding upon educational programs as well as out-of-school initiatives.
  5. The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund’s “Gaza Educational Initiative” is raising money to support education efforts in the region. Following the 2014 bombings within the West Bank, PCRF started a fund to help provide tutoring and extra education services to affected children. Programs like this and efforts made by the U.N. are helping Palestinian kids achieve higher education despite the unstable state of their home environments.

U.S. foreign aid to Palestine is an incredibly contentious topic in current politics. However, putting past political disagreements for the sake of education is crucial for Palestinian children. Educating younger generations of children can provide hope for less poverty, radicalization and violence within the community.

– Saroja Koneru

Photo: Flickr

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Cormack Family Funds New Children International Center

Cormack FamilyDave Cormack, president and chief executive officer of the healthcare software provider Brightree, along with his family, are funding a new Children International Cormack Family Community Center. The Cormack family is helping to benefit nearly 12,000 children in Cartagena, Colombia.

In Colombia, 11% of the country is unemployed and 37% of the country lives below the poverty line.

Children International has been working with Colombia for over 25 years to help children break the cycle of poverty. It has 10 community centers in Colombia serving more than 40,000 children.

“After having the opportunity to visit other Children International community centers, my family and I recognized the importance of these safe spaces,” said Dave Cormack. “We knew we wanted to help fund a center so that more kids have the opportunity to utilize Children International’s services.”

The new community center will include the Brightree Youth Computer Center, where children can do research, homework and learn valuable skills such as English as a second language. It will also have medical and dental clinics, a library, pharmacy and other meeting spaces.

The new youth center will have an outdoor multi-sport court, an art studio and other multi-use spaces. The centers give families a place to escape the negative influences of their poor communities.

Children in the program have access to a team of doctors, dentists, tutors and sponsors. The Children International Cormack Family Community Center is a safe place in the community and a path out of poverty.

The organization provides health benefits, including annual medical exams and health care during illness, providing nutritional support, counseling for children and families, dental care, clothing, school supplies and fees and items for the home.

The programs are focused on health, education, empowerment and employment. Through early intervention, Children International addresses children’s critical needs through daily interaction in community centers. The centers are unique facilities that enable Children International to reach its goal of eliminating poverty from children’s lives.

– Jacqueline Venuti

Photo: Children International

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How USAID is Improving Access to Education in Niger

Education in NigerWith a stable democracy and no civil war, it would seem that Niger is ripe for progress compared to many other African nations. Yet Niger struggles with extreme poverty and ranks last on the U.N.’s Education Development Index. In 2003, the government instated a 10-year plan for education reform, but little progress in both quality of and access to education in Niger was made.

Niger’s history as an independent republic is very brief and rather bleak. According to the BBC, after gaining independence from France in 1960, Niger faced political instability, drought and widespread poverty. Slavery was only just outlawed in 2003 but remains a problem to this day.

Fortunately, in a peaceful 2010 election, Mahamadou Issoufou became president of Niger and since then the nation has been relatively stable politically. However, the nation remains one of the “poorest peaceful [countries] in the world.”

Limited access to education in Niger is a significant contributor to widespread and ongoing poverty in the nation. According to the U.N., average expected years of schooling in Niger is 5.4, compared to 16.9 in the U.S.

Niger’s adult literacy rate is a staggering 15.5% and only 5.2% of the population have at least some secondary education. These figures, among others, cause Niger’s education system to rank 187/187 nations ranked in the 2013 U.N. Human Development Report.

2013 also marked the 10 year anniversary of the plan for education reform; in the same year, USAID became involved in the effort to increase access to education in Niger.

A 2007 evaluation of the PDDE (from the French “Programme Décennal pour le Développement de l’Éducation”), revealed that Niger’s education system had improved quantitatively, but not qualitatively. That is to say, access to education improved — access to primary education increased nationally from 51% to 65% – but quality remained sub-par.

USAID aims to increase access to quality education in Niger. Higher quality education in Niger would mean a safer and more welcoming environment for female students, which currently have a 44 percent enrollment rate after sixth grade, increased parental involvement, and strengthened community links to education.

According to their website, the objectives of USAID are “to increase access to quality education in schools through an improved physical and social environment; and to increase early grade reading achievement by promoting a culture of reading.”

USAID calls their program “Niger Education and Community Strengthening.” By addressing the low education rates through the lens of community, USAID will have a sense of the cultural aspects that contribute to Niger’s struggling education system.

Working with the community as well as the Millennium Challenge Corporation will fortify USAID efforts to decrease the 18% gender gap in education and increase the 5.2% education rate.

– Sabrina Yates

Photo: Flickr

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3 Keys to Ending World Hunger Forever

World HungerThe plight of world hunger is nothing new. On average, one in eight individuals go hungry every day. Currently, about 795 million people suffer from chronic hunger.

This is especially critical in developing countries. There, food productivity and sustainability are just one amongst a plethora of other issues, including overpopulation, civil conflict and lack of education.

However, while the effects of hunger are not limited by race, religion or country, the answer to ending the world’s food shortage problem lies in many, perhaps unexpected places.

Women’s Empowerment

For instance, one such solution can be found in empowering women. Of the 600 million small farmers, herders and food providers in the world, half are women. However, this large fraction of food providers is hindered from producing adequate quotas due to cultural and gender boundaries.

Typically, women have less access to education, ownership of land or livestock. They also receive less credit than their male counterparts. As a result, half of the world’s food providers are unable or not producing nearly enough to sustain themselves, let alone the world’s population.

If these restrictions on female agriculturists decreased, however, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) the number of hungry people in the world would drop 17%.

Education

Another solution to ending world hunger revolves around education. Countries in Africa and South America have fertile land, but with ignorant farmers, food production remains low. These uneducated agriculturists practice outdated farming techniques and in turn reap poor results.

But programs such as Food for Training projects focus on educating food providers in developing nations. They can dramatically improve food production levels and encourage long term self-sustainability at very little cost.

Moreover, school meal projects also reduce hunger amongst children, who most heavily feel the effects of food shortages. In turn, the free or reduced meals schools provide encourage families to send their children to school, which supports education.

Reducing Food Waste

Lastly, a crucial part of reducing and eventually ending world hunger lies in ending global food waste. If the world were to reduce its food waste, a third of the world’s entire food supply would be saved, which is enough to feed 3 billion people.

Ultimately, this would result in a food surplus that could sustain entire countries. However, food recycling projects and campaigns such as Feedback, which focuses on saving leftover produce and creating nutritious meals from marketable food scraps, help reduce hunger. This provides thousands of people around the world with free, nutritious meals.

World hunger has reduced significantly since the 1990s; however, it has since leveled in 2010. Strategies such as food waste reduction campaigns, education and discouraging gender inequality can make significant dents in the fight to end this battle.

– Jenna Salisbury

Photo: Pixabay

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Why Poverty Exists and What We Can Do About It

Why Poverty ExistsPoverty has causes deeply rooted in evolving human interests. In today’s society, the interpretations for why poverty exists have become intertwined in history, politics and the economy. The big question being asked—are people suffering needlessly?—deserves an answer.

A Lack of Resources

The World Health Organization reports that nearly 700 million people in the world lack access to safe water. According to The World Food Programme, nearly 800 million, or one in nine people, lack the food and nutrition necessary to live a healthy and active life.

Water and food are becoming an increasingly large concern as the world population is expected to reach between nine and 11 billion by the end of the century. However, the world already produces enough food to feed 10 billion people. Furthermore, with desalination and water recycling technology, supplying safe drinking water to even the driest areas of the world is possible with enough energy and money.

Despite the rising population, there are currently more than enough resources to nourish everyone, and there exists a significant incentive to disperse these resources. Every U.S. dollar spent on water and sanitation returns $4 to the global economy. Likewise, every dollar spent on proven nutrition interventions returns $16, as adequately nourished children go on to have higher IQs, increased education and better salaries.

On the right track, Congress recently passed the Global Food Security Act, which provides a platform and allocated funding to develop a global nutrition security strategy. Many developed nations have similar programs, but despite the economic incentive to provide water and food security, not enough funding is provided for these programs. There have been steps taken to end resource poverty but not at the necessary scale.

A Lack of Education

At the heart of many narratives, and perhaps a symptom of the larger issue, individual shortcomings are the reasons why poverty exists. Those who are unable to compete in the market do so because they lack skills relative to the population at large.

For many, disadvantage takes the form of fewer opportunities for education and economic growth. More than 72 million children of school age are not in school, and 759 million adults remain illiterate and unable to better their living conditions.

For others, disadvantage begins with conception. Prenatal malnutrition, drug use, environmental toxins and even stress can lead to poor brain development in the womb. Poor development begets poor performance as well as inadequate skills to compete economically. A lack of skills and education becomes the cause of one generation’s poverty, and a symptom of that of the next.

Many steps in the cycle of why poverty exists are easily preventable. Over 16,000 children under the age of five die of preventable causes, and 800 women die everyday related to childbirth and pregnancy. The Reach Every Mother and Child Act, which has been introduced to the House and Senate, aims to help save the lives of 600,000 women and 15 million children by 2020, and will help to ensure healthy development. Healthy, well-nourished children are much easier to educate.

Social v. Economic Reasons

Institutionalized inequalities create cycles of poverty exacerbated by lack of resources, education and opportunity.

Political systems that favor the wealthy may not have the interests of the working poor at heart. Corrupt governments prevent aid from reaching those in need. Social structures may prevent movement between classes. Historical exploitation of a country’s resources may have long-lasting effects, and oppression of a population leads to large income disparities. One does not have to search far to find documented examples of each of these depravities, and they even point to a larger problem than just a lack of resources or skills.

If we are in fact past our colonial era, then our involvement in developing countries should be in the interest of cultivating a global economy–one that works for all countries involved. Allocating funds to foreign aid and growth is a step in that direction. Domestic and foreign interests need not be mutually exclusive.

Successful poverty reduction exists but could be improved and expanded with more time and resources. The U.S allocates only 0.19 percent of its gross national income to foreign aid. Only six countries have ever met the target laid forth by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which sits at just 0.7 percent of GNI. Not only will aid help improve the global economy, but also many developed countries play a role in creating the political and social inequalities listed above. With economics and ethics on the side of the poverty reduction, is 0.19 percent cutting it?.

In a fair world, choice will be the only reason for why poverty exists, and at that point it can be deemed inevitable, but at present, the suffering of many stems from causes, if not within our control, then within our reach.

– Lia Ferguson

Photo: Pixabay

Federal Budget Aimed at Reducing Poverty in Pakistan

Poverty in Pakistan
On June 3, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar presented budgetary proposals for the fiscal year of 2016-17. Dar plans to focus on reducing poverty in Pakistan by boosting the agriculture industry.

According to the budget report, agriculture makes up 44 percent of Pakistan’s labor force and 21 percent of its GDP according to the budget report. In short, the agriculture sector is vital to the economy.

The Pakistani government aims to increase the productivity and income of the rural population by instituting various changes. Such changes include lowering the cost of fertilizer, eliminating a tax on pesticides and extending credit to farmers. This will increase the credit budget from 600 to 700 billion rupees (approx. 5.7 billion to approx. 6.7 billion dollars).

Part of the proposed agricultural budget includes a measure for an off-peak tariff decrease on tube wells. Tube wells are made by driving a tube into a stratum in the ground that bears water.

This decrease would bring the price down from 8.85 rupees per unit (approx. 8 cents) to 5.35 rupees per unit (approx. 5 cents). The Pakistani government will bear a cost of 27 billion rupees (approx. $259 million) to provide more affordable means of reaching water sources for the depleted agriculture sector.

Dar hopes that helping shoulder the burden of cost brought on by decreased food prices and unfavorable weather will rejuvenate a critical piece of an economy that has seen a mere 4.7 percent overall growth in the past two years.

In assisting agriculture, Pakistan could also see improvement in the textile industry. In fact, 70 percent of the raw materials used by that sector are provided by the agriculture sector.

To further support the textile industry, imports of textile machinery will continue to be exempt from customs duty. Textiles and other export-oriented sectors of the economy will have a zero-rate tax regime.

The Pakistani government has also proposed a suspension of taxes on exports in the hopes of halting the current decline.

The education budget is largely unchanged from recent years. However, the budget includes an 11 percent increase in the funding of higher education. This allocation of 79.5 billion rupees (approx. $763 million) is the largest amount ever set aside for higher education.

Elements of this budget include faculty development programs for universities, as well as the establishment of sub-campuses.

Better-trained faculty and more university campuses could lead to a more educated population that would possess the tools necessary to generate income and start businesses. These new business owners would need to hire employees, so providing aid for higher education could reduce poverty in Pakistan and create more jobs.

Research by the Pakistani government with the help of World Bank shows that the government has been successful in its effort of reducing poverty. The poverty has dropped from 64.2 percent in 2001-02 to 29.5 percent in 2013. Conditions in Pakistan are getting better, but there is still room to improve.

Foreign aid is effective in helping to reduce poverty, but national governments face the task of instituting programs that will provide people with jobs to sustain life above the poverty line.

The 2016-17 Pakistani budget seeks to increase funding for critical sectors of the economy. Funding these important programs could help the economy in its continued growth by providing education and job opportunities to the nation’s young and rural populations, thus reducing poverty in Pakistan.

– Aaron Parr

Photo: Huffington Post

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Education in India: Coursera Provides Online Courses

Education_in_IndiaThe Indian government has set a goal to increase student enrollment in universities by 30% by the year 2020. India must expand its educational system to meet the needs of the continuously growing population. In order to improve education in India, the nation would also need a few thousand more universities. The existing universities would also require expansion.

Currently, only 12% of students in India are able to secure spots in Indian universities. This leaves out a large pool of talented students who could benefit from a university-level education. Coursera, the online Californian company, currently has 17 million registered students and is looking to expand in India.

Coursera provides free online courses from 140 to non-degree-seeking students from such widely-known universities as Stanford, Yale or Columbia. These “Moocs” (or massive open online courses) allow students to study at home. Coursera looks to benefit from the Indian population by providing online education to those who are unable to attend a regular university. They have already partnered with many of the Indian universities, such as Udacity.

Coursera does not provide exams or degrees, but it does give certificates after a course has been completed. While Coursera provides their online courses without payment, the certificates that require completion exams can cost between $30 and $100. This allows students in low economic standing to continue their education and find additional job opportunities based on their skills.

There are currently 1.3 million Indian students using Coursera, making India the largest concentration of online students outside of China or the U.S. Employers are also using Coursera to provide further education for their employees, such as online stock brokerage firm Zerodha.

CEO Nithin Kamath of Zerodha intends to further the education and credibility of Zerodha’s employees in any way possible. He says, “When we come across courses that we think is something our employees need to know, we encourage them to take it up.”

Courses related to data science and information technology are the most popular for Indian students using Coursera. Consequently, this indicates that there is a growing demand for skilled workers in India’s software industry. Coursera seeks to increase its own impact on education in India by providing general courses in Hindi or other local languages.

Catering to the concerns of many students, Coursera is also focusing on providing learning opportunities that are more job-relevant. Similar Indian programs, such as Edureka or Simplilearn, have already begun to do so. The emergence of online education in India provides opportunities for students who would otherwise have none.

– Amanda Panella

Photo: Flickr

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UNICEF’s School in a Box: A Foreign Aid Success

School in a box
During times of emergency, priorities turn to basic essentials like food, water and shelter. While these are clearly the most important, UNICEF argues that a fourth thing needs to be added as a necessity: education. UNICEF’s school in a box provides an incredible solution.

Education is one of the best ways to preserve normalcy, social resources and safety that is invaluable to primary school-aged kids. They are not alone in this belief; a study by Duke University Professor E. Frankenburg explains that people with access to education are better equipped to handle crises.

 

School in a Box:  Education in Crisis Response

 

How can schools be efficiently supplied after emergency?

UNICEF came up with an answer that is a fast and affordable foreign aid success. Within three days of a tsunami or other crisis, they can deliver a ‘School in a Box’ with three months worth of supplies for one teacher and 40 students. They are perfect for places recently hit with a natural disaster or a sudden influx of students.

It is all inclusive so that a classroom can be set up anywhere. In addition to the classic materials like paper, books and pens, the kit contains toys, a radio, educational posters and can of paint that can turn any flat surface into a blackboard.

Translations are available in most languages and UNICEF has tried to make it as non-culturally specific as possible. Boxes can be supplemented with locally produced materials and lesson plans.

This program was created in the mid-1990s, along with UNESCO’s similar Teacher Emergency Package. Originally, it was used in Rwanda but has spread to at least 12 countries including Pakistan, Haiti, Japan and even the United States. It has been a foreign aid success: in 2014 alone, 106,201 kits were distributed.

These kits can be sponsored for a mere $209.11 on UNICEF’s website. While this program is not a permanent replacement for locally supported schools, School in a Box provides a quick and effective way to give kids education during an emergency.

– Jeanette I. Burke

Photo: The Epoch Times