The Problem Regarding Education in Developing Countries
Writer : Freida Foong
Editor: Eleonora Burei
Graphic Designer: Auliya Naura
What is the significance of education?
Due to the numerous benefits they reap such as boosting economic growth, reducing infant mortality rate and increasing human life expectancy, everyone should have access to education regardless of their age, origin-of-birth or gender.
Research has shown that a lack of education leads to the perpetuation of high poverty levels and slow economic development of a country
The problem facing developing countries?
Unfortunately, this is not the case in several developing countries. In developing countries, there are several factors that play into why children do not receive an education.
These include :
Children choosing to work instead
A good proportion of children in developing countries live in poverty and cannot seek education because they have to work from an early age to support their family.
Parents may view education as an opportunity cost as it is time wasted not earning money to supplement household income.
Additionally, families may perceive the value of education as a derisory amount.
They may possess a social attitude or belief that acquiring jobs in the local economy do not require academic skills or that getting a job is more dependent on personal connections than skill-level.
2. Inadequate educational materials given
The children who do attend school receive an inadequate education because of poorly trained teachers, overcrowded classrooms and a lack of basic teaching tools.
This is often attributed to the governments lacking either the financial resources or political will to meet citizens educational needs.
3. Low income households cannot afford education
Education payments are often a heavy burden for low-income households.
Disadvantaged families that live in absolute poverty would be focusing on satisfying physiological needs first rather than focus on the thought of sparing funds for education purposes.
It is because of this that their children end up illiterate and severely disadvantaged as they lack occupational mobility.
Therefore, children need to have access to free schooling.
This will lessen the burden of parents and will prevent children from working early on in their lives.
4.Discrimination
In developing countries, girls tend to be overlooked in terms of education.
This is disadvantageous as educated girls and women tend to showcase particularly striking social benefits : they are healthier, earn more income and provide better healthcare for themselves and their future children.
These benefits are also transmitted from generation to generation and across communities at large.
What happens when others are restricted access to a basic necessity like education?
People who have low-levels of education tend to face income-insecurity as the wages they earn tend to be fairly low since they lack any proper qualifications.
Aside from this, the low-level of education means that their occupational mobility levels are also sub-par.
This leads them to be unemployed as they are unable to flexibly move between jobs and have a limited range of jobs to choose from that suit their skill-set.
Access to education can improve the economic and financial lifestyle of citizens and determine the prospects of future generations, especially in developing countries. Additionally, it can expedite a country’s economic development.
Evidence has shown that children who have access to quality educational programs perform better and are successful in their lives.
Therefore, it is vital that the education system in developing countries must be built in such a way that students apply their minds in the development of their country.
What can be done to help?
Developed countries play a major role in improving education worldwide.
Some potential ways in which they could aid include :
Help developing nations by providing money.
The main issue among developing countries is the lack of a proper budget for education.
Developed countries can financially aid these struggling countries to improve their literacy rates.
Investing in schools and technology for developing countries.
They could supply the funds to build schools and pay for teachers and equipment.
Access to the Internet can expose students to a world of knowledge and information.
Governments of developed and developing countries must work together.
This can give insight to developed countries on the real situation and they can provide a variety of versatile approaches for the improvement of developing countries.
Sources:
the importance of education in developing countries. (2019). Kudroli.org. https://www.kudroli.org/blogs/the-importance-of-education-in-developing-countries#:~:text=The%20role%20of%20education%20in%20poverty%20reduction%20is%20huge.,as%20there%20are%20huge%20benefits.
Economic Issues No. 33 - Educating Children in Poor Countries. (2015). Imf.org. https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/issues/issues33/
Education in Developing countries: Problems and Solutions - Output Education. (2016, March 23). Output Education. https://www.outputeducation.com/education-developing-countries-problems-solutions/
