Written by Stephanie Freya (Youth Volunteer Program participant)
What are things that all children deserve to have? Is it a happy family? Is it a safe place to live? Is it being born in a financially stable home? In truth, it is all of this, however, one of the most significant defaults many kids don’t have is education. Millions of children are conflicted with this problem, and if it continues to grow, it will eventually hurt our generation and future too. This will lead me to explain the three main reasons why it is hard to get a good education.
Have you ever wondered, what makes education so hard to come across by, or why millions lack this, it is because of conflict? Conflict affects many people, whether from wars, natural disasters, terrorism, and more and could damage school facilities. This will lead to unsafe school buildings where children can’t study well and focus due to the deteriorating environment. This will eventually force the school to shut down, and there will be a loss of school materials, such as books, labs, classrooms, and more. Moreover, conflicts can take a toll on an entire generation because of its economic struggles and poorer finances, which doesn’t have enough money to support their school. An example of this case is tribal fights that happen much more frequently nowadays in Papua New Guinea, the war happening in Ukraine, etc.
The second reason is disabilities. Studies have shown that people with disabilities are less likely to attend school since many think it is pointless to teach them anything, leading to a lot of prejudice against them. But, the special few who do go to school are most likely to be unable to keep up with their education. This is because it is designed for normal students, and not for specialized ones such as these, and would need extra help for schoolwork. Aside from needing help too, it turns out, most people would rather not be associated with others with disabilities, as it grosses them out, is embarrassing, or by other means. UNESCO stated that 42% of girls with disabilities complete their primary school education, compared to 51% of boys with disabilities (UNICEF). Children with visual, hearing, physical or intellectual disabilities are twice as likely not to attend school at all (UNESCO).
The final reason is climate change. Though it may seem shocking, it also impacts the education children need, for a few reasons. The most obvious ones are an increase in extreme weather would force the school to shut down due to damages, or would hinder the children’s journey on their way to school. The next would be water scarcity or famine, because of this, many families are unable to pay the school fees and would remove their children from school to pay for their food. The next reason is that global warming can make the weather unpredictable, and if extreme enough, could endanger a student on their way to school and it is difficult for people in the global tropics to attain a secondary education because of this. The last is because of the time, it takes time to rebuild schools after natural disasters and many would be denied education for months or even years.
Now, the thing is, if this problem continues to grow more.
As you can see, children face a lot of difficulties, but we should not give up hope, because there are still some things we can do. We can help by donating resources, such as books and stationaries, volunteering to help rebuild these schools, or if you’re old enough, to teach, providing tuition, and so much more. So don’t give up hope! And little by little, we’ll be able to make a change in this world and for the future too.
Works Cited
“20 Reasons Why, in 2020, There Are Still 260m Children out of School – World.” ReliefWeb, 2020, relief web.int/report/world/20-reasons-why-2020-there-are-still-260m-children-out-school.
“Access to Education.” International Committee of the Red Cross, 28 Oct. 2020, www.icrc.org/en/what-we-do/access-education#:~:text=Education%20gives%20children%20and%20young.
“Children with Disabilities Still Excluded from School | HI.” Children with Disabilities Still Excluded from School, www.hi.org/en/news/children-with-disabilities-still—excluded-from-school#:~:text=People%20sometimes%20think%20that%20because. Accessed 5 Mar. 2023.
“Climate Change Is One of the Biggest Threats to Education — and Growing.” Concern Worldwide, www.concernusa.org/story/education-and-climate-change/#:~:text=The%20effects%20of%20climate%20change. Accessed 5 Mar. 2023.
