Education

Whether from the glamour of Beverley Hills & Notting Hill or the slums Kibera & Dharavi, education is a basic human right of every child.

Every human being on this planet should have a chance to make a better life for themselves. Education is the best ways to end global poverty and put a stop to the vicious cycle. This has been recognised by governments worldwide when they set the Millennium Development Goals; the sad part about this is that one in four adults in the developing world is still illiterate. The second Millennium Development Goal aims to ensure that by 2015 every boy and girl has access to complete primary schooling.

A good education enables children to grow, attain skills, mature into adults with potential and determine their own future. School introduces children to some of the most important traits needed to survive in the modern world and later on, gives them a chance to work and contribute to society. However, more than 100 million children around the world do not go to school and many of those who do are not provided with any relevant knowledge courtesy of outdated education models and lack of resources.

Primary education is recognized as a right because it has a huge impact on society and people’s lives.

Currently, neither sub-Saharan Africa nor South Asia is on track to achieve the goal by 2015. However, some countries in both regions have proved that it is possible. East Asia, the Caribbean and Pacific and Latin America are close to universal primary education.

Africa is one of the regions most affected by this lack of primary education – in the year 2000, the number of children out of school actually increased by 17% from 1990, which meant an additional 6,738,000 children did not get the chance to attend primary school.

Africa is also home to 70% of adults and 80% of children currently living with HIV/AIDS. Basic education would decrease the spread of HIV/AIDS and therefore lower the mortality.

Education is linked to the majority of the world’s problems – we need to try our best to assure that this Millennium Development Goal is lived up to by 2015.

Remember that if you contribute towards sending a child to school; you are not doing charity but you are upholding a basic human right. Take action today.