Education

The solution to a lack of education services is not straightforward. Primary education for all is a basic right in most countries but even though its need is accepted, how to go about it is more complicated. How can education be made affordable for both parents AND governments? Should it be free? If so, how does the government pay for schools, teachers, training and books?

Why don't children go to school?

There are many reasons why children may not go to school, but here are just a few of the most common reasons:

• They can't afford it – school is not free in many countries as the governments cannot afford to pay for it themselves, and many parents simply cannot afford the fees and uniform costs to send their children to school.
  
  
• Even where education is free, children may be needed to do chores at home or work to earn money to feed and support themselves and their families (this is called 'opportunity costs' in economics) and therefore they simply can't go to school as their family would starve.
  
  
• They could be a girl. Girls are more likely to stay at home to do chores, such as cooking and fetching water, leaving no time for school. In many cultures it is more important to educate boys so if there is only enough money to pay for one child to go to school, it is more likely to pay for a boy.
  

What happens to those lucky enough to attend school?

The benefits for attending school are far-reaching and significant. Basic literacy and numeracy are essential for all types or work – whether it's to read fertiliser instructions or to know whether you are being paid the right amount.

An education beyond basic skills can open up more job opportunities and could lead to higher salaries, not to mention the personal, social and political benefits of education.

However, there are two major problems with education in the developing world:

1. Some secondary education programmes are based on the education needs of the developed world, not of the developing world. Learning locally appropriate skills is just as important as learning about the Second World War. Vocational education needs to be more widely available and prioritised in developing countries.

2. Even for those who complete secondary and higher education programmes, it may not lead to anything – there may be no jobs to go into. A focus on higher education needs to go hand in hand with a focus on economic development – if not this can lead to a 'brain drain' (where the most educated people leave the country in search of jobs) or political unrest.


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