PovertyWithinCommunities
Poverty is one of the main barriers to a childs education. Poor
families in some parts of the world can not afford to send their children
to school because they are needed to help with farming or other jobs.
Additionally, although education is theoretically free in many countries,
there are often informal fees that parents are forced to pay. These
informal fees can include payment for uniforms, books, pens, extra
lessons, and exam fees. Also, in some countries, there is no access to
public schools, forcing families who want to send their children to
school to pay fees for private schools.
Solutions:Through the work of different organizations, poverty can
be defeated. CARE, which stands for Cooperative for Assistance and
Relief Everywhere, is one organization that is fighting poverty.
Operating in 94 countries across the world, they focus on disaster
relief, womens empowerment, health, world hunger, education and
economic development. Their website is www.care.org.
CountryinConflict
In countries with conflict, children are 3 times less likely to be
able to go to school than children in other developing countries. For
many children in these countries, it is simply too dangerous to go to
school. Children who have fled conflict also have disruption in their
continuity of learning.
Solutions: Most of the aid given to the people of countries in conflict
is not for education. Education should be more focused on when
providing aid to countries in conflict.
Geography
A region's geography can be a barrier to education in many
ways. The poorer a country is, the less able the people are to adapt to
the environment. For example, children living in the mountains might
have to travel long and dangerous distances to their schools. Children
are more at risk of violence when they have to travel long ways to and
from school.
Solutions:Because each area and situation is different, there is not
one easy solution that will work for every region where geography
prevents children from getting an education. In some cases, giving
students bikes to travel to and from school on is the best solution, but
in others it may be best to build a new school closer to the students.
LackofTeachers
To achieve a primary education for every child, 1.6 million
teachers still need to be recruited by 2030. This lack of teachers is
partly due to female teachers not having maternity protection and
leave or protection from sexual violence. Even if all the needed
teachers were found, many teachers are not trained or qualified to
teach. This leads to many children not learning basic skills, even if
they are going to schools.
Solutions: Countries should create accessible teachers training
programs and pass laws allowing for maternity leave.
PoorInfrastructure
Millions of children worldwide are stuffed into overcrowded
classrooms that have poor infrastructure from overuse, and that is
when they have a classroom at all. Many schools do not have basic
facilities like water and toilets, and when they do, they are usually
shared between genders, making them unsafe.
Solutions:Funding should be increased for the construction of more
schools or more room for existing schools to prevent overcrowding
and existing structures with better utilities should be preserved.
LackofFundingforSchools
Funding for schools dropped 16% from 2009 to 2012. The lack of
funding for education results in a lack of resources, both human and
material. Obviously, teachers one of the most important parts of a
school, but without enough funding, schools are not able to hire
enough. Materials are also very important for a student to be
successful in their learning. In many developing countries, schools do
not have enough textbooks for every student, or materials for teachers
to prepare lessons.
Solutions:For where there is a lack of funding, there are
organizations that help fund global education. One of these
organizations, the Global Education Fund, provide[s] small, multi-year
grants, with partner identified milestones for assessment and
accountability. More information about the Global Education Fund
can be found on their website:www.globaleducationfund.org.
CorruptioninGovernment
In many developing countries, there is some form of corruption in
education. Some forms include requiring payment for a school that
should be free, shadow schools, and acceptance of bribery to get
into more sought-after schools.
Solutions:It should be ensured that grades get sent to families
frequently and for free, so parents know that they are legitimate. City
officials should also keep track of administrations in school and should
fire malicious school administrators.
SomaCube
Each piece of the cube represents a part of the solution
The Soma Cube is a wooden cube comprised of seven pieces, and
each piece is build with smaller cubes. We chose to create this to
symbolize the major building blocks of quality education, and how they
all work together and are equally vital in achieving quality education
for all children around the world. The major building blocks or
solutions we emphasize are alleviating extreme poverty, having
enough teachers that are qualified, having a fair government, funding,
proper and quality infrastructure, peaceful communities, and a suitable
location for a school.
Whydoesthisgoalmatter?GlobalGoals:Ensureinclusive
andqualityeducationforallandpromotelifelonglearning.
