educate.the.world

In my earlier post, i discussed the three factors i believe are needed to provide education for all.
1. Education must have value for everyone
2. World leaders need to be committed to the cause
3. Education must be accessible

Here are some simple strategies sticking to this guideline:

1. “Teachers Without Borders”
Teachers from affluent countries like Canada, USA and Korea already know the value in education and can take this motivation to other parts of the world to teach. By the governments supporting and exchange program like this, it shows that they are committed to the cause and feel a responsibility to making positive changes. This concept would allow teachers to travel abroad and provide free, accessible education.

Unfortunately, one teacher may only be able to teach a classroom of 20 children and can only stay for a limited amount of time. Therefore if no teacher was available to take over, the education for these children may stop. There must also be an incentive for teachers to go- free travel, free accommodation’s, salary, government grants. Also, this idea is not as sustainable as “doctors without borders” because it really isn’t addressing the root problems. Teachers need to be trained in third world countries to end the cycle of poverty and spark economic development.

Currently there is an organization called Teachers without Borders, which focuses on allowing men and women in remote areas of the world to receive their teaching certificates. This is great leap in the right direction, but i propose a hybrid of the two for the time being because teacher commitment in third world countries still lacks.

“Brains are evenly distributed throughout the world;
education is not…

It is our job to connect education to brains”

2.”Commitment and Targets Set by World Leaders”

” Under the leadership of UNESCO and four other UN agencies (the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and the World Bank), the world came together in 1990 in Jomtien, Thailand, to adopt a new vision of basic education. In response to slow progress over the decade, 164 governments and partners met again in 2000 in Dakar, Senegal to re-affirm their global commitment and adopt the six Education for All goals. These goals express a comprehensive view of education, from early childhood care and development to literacy and life skills for youth and adults. Three of the goals are timed: providing universal primary education, increasing adult literacy levels by fifty percent and ensuring gender equality in education – all by 2015.” (source)

We need plans implemented to strengthen commitments that are made like this one. Currently UNESCO has reported that they will not meet their set targets by 2015. In order for political commitments to be accomplished and carried out, there must be checks put in place to ensure promises are being made.

I suggest that governments all over the world MUST allocate a certain percentage of their budget to support sustaining education and building new schools and training new teachers. This would create an enormous impact that would positively change the country in the long run. By developing and building up their education plan on a yearly basis, universal education can be incrementally accomplished. This is not something that we can change over night. Education needs worldwide commitment and governments need to be held accountable to the promises that they make their citizens. This target budget can start low and can be scaled to times of economic prosperity or failure. New schools, new teachers, and “taking education seriously” may seem simple, but if carried out it can create great societal change and will provide a long term solution to more quality education. Obviously this would not be an easy feat. This is where the “value of education needs to be recognized”. World leaders would need to unite and sign a document to say they will take this pledge and commit to it.

Thoughts?