Education: The Key to Solving Poverty
Several factors contribute to worldwide poverty. Economists have analyzed several of these factors that contribute to poverty and contemplated solutions. But even with copious amounts of research and evidence supporting the causes of poverty, governments still fail to implement much needed reforms and systems that could increase standards of living.
Many of the factors that do contribute to poverty such as low wage rates, over speculation, and the underdevelopment of specific countries are all intertwined. How? It can all be linked back to poor education. In order to govern a community, led alone one’s self, a basic education is essential. In order for the standards of living to increase in impoverished areas the promotion and levels of education must also increase. Ensuring that one-hundred percent of the world’s youth population is enrolled in federally funded primary and secondary schooling, can decrease the education gap and increase success and industrialization in communities worldwide.
The education of a country’s workers largely determines the performance of the economy(Radcliffe). “Countries with a greater portion of their population attending and graduating from schools see faster economic growth than countries with less-educated workers” (Radcliffe). Clearly not every country is underdeveloped and requires assistance in funding education, yet their are still high poverty rates in some of these areas. For example the United States is the ninth wealthiest country in the entire world, but fifteen percent of the population still lives in poverty(News). This is in part due to the continuos poverty cycle, and the only way for it to be broken is by providing students with a better education.
High and consistent poverty rates can be attributed to the poor education system and it’s inability to provide sufficient funds for schools in low-income communities. Many children born into poverty end up in poverty due to the poor education in their area (cycle). A lot of schools are funded by property tax, making schools in impoverished areas a lot worse (cycle).Also due to high tuitions colleges require, several children growing up inpoverty do not get a chance to attend college and others do not even finish high school (cycle).”If only half of Pennsylvania’s high school dropouts were to stay in school and receive a diploma, the state would see 1,050 new jobs created, $13 million in increased state revenue, $129 million in increased earnings and $100 million in increased spending”(Danger).
Those who do not complete high school also earn a lower income which means they pay lower taxes (Danger).Perhaps if the rate of high school graduates increased, taxes would be more evenly distributed and lowered for everyone. The nation could also save billions of dollars by not having to invest nearly as much money in public assistance (Danger). As long as a child’s socio-economic background determines how they are educated, students will never have equal opportunities and the education gap will only continue to grow. So how can the the U.
S. and every other country decrease their education gap and increase their chances of having a productive, poverty free society? The answer is partly in the way schools are funded. In order to provide schools with sufficient funding, the federal government must fund all schools and education programs. Schools in impoverished communities will never have the ability to thrive if the residents in that community barley have the ability to pay their taxes that will fund the schools in their area. This is seen worldwide and the rich cannot continue to have an advantage in society when it comes to education. Countries need to aim to produce as many innovative entrepreneurs and workers as possible.
Some countries already have the financial capability to change schools and the way educational programs are funded. However, it is important to focus on the countries with high poverty rates and poor economies. If the UN were to strongly encourage that other countries donate enough money to fund schools and education programs in highly impoverished and underdeveloped countries, these underdeveloped countries could invest their personal federal funds to finance industrialization and infrastructure. Well, one might ask what the incentive is for other countries to give to these poor countries. However, if underdeveloped countries were to be relieved of the cost from education and invest the money they are saving into industrialization, it could potentially open up new trade markets on a global scale, benefitting economies everywhere.
By providing the education for a developing country’s population, students would also be prepared to work in the developing and rapidly growing economy. Opening several more schools throughout countries to ensure every student receives an education would also create several job opportunities for qualified teachers. Countries in Africa and Latin America could highly benefit from the industrialization of their communities. Areas in Sub-Saharan Africa could replace outdated farming tools and see advances in their agricultural department, finally having the ability to exploit their rich minerals and resources(Page). The idea may sound far fetched, however, In Africa their is currently a correlation between the increase in spending on education and an increase in infrastructure. Of course with stronger infrastructure, communities are healthier and as they become more educated are able to become more productive.
Investments in industrialization across Africa have proved to be successful as well. For example in Tanzania, a small factory was set up that produced five-dollar nets that protected homes from malaria infested mosquitoes. The business rapidly grew over time and employed hundreds of women. Women working under the factory then adopted an American sales model and were able to sell the nets they produced in local homes. Not only did the new innovative factory give several women the opportunity to work but it also protected families from Malaria, which can costs African governments millions of dollars each year (Novogratz). Spreading education can also spark an interest in politics and help underpaid workers advocate for the reforms the desperately need.
In Africa for instance Fred Swaniker is founding several new african leadership academies which are focusing on training Africa’s next generation to become successful entrepreneurs and government officials. Swaniker’s belief is that this next generation of kids can end some of the corruption that is seen in African politics and become innovative thinkers that can expand the job pool in Africa (Swaniker). If private schools are closed and the door to federally funded public schools are open, everyone would have an equal chance at an education, lowering the education gap and giving every student an equal chance at success. The outcome could be tremendous, giving students immense opportunities and decreasing worldwide poverty. Works Cited “Education Voters Pennsylvania.
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