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Isabella Calpakis Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 6 November 2013

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Education for African Children in Need

Thirteen-year-old Pascal Mwanchoka and his ten-year-old brother scour the streets of Nairobi for scrap metal. If none is found, then they sleep hungry. The mother is an alcoholic, and they live alone on the streets. Education is not their priority when starvation is their death threat, but what if an education could turn their lives around? According to dosomething.org, the African continent has areas with less than 50 percent literacy rates among children ages 18 and under. The chance of these children learning how to read and write decreases as they become older and take on the responsibility of supporting a family. Education should be a right, not a privilege, but unfortunately this is not reality. The barriers between first world and third world countries are more complex than simple laws; Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa states that of all the worlds regions, African economies rank last in wealth as well as in rate of growth (xxi). As for the history behind the issue, the current structure of the educational system within the continent is a stripped-down version of what it once was. Before European intervention, various ethnic groups educated children based on traditional norms and values. According to African Higher Education Policy: A Survey of Sub-Saharan Africa,
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education centered on training and discipline resembled modern schooling (26). However, slave trades and political conflict forced a new educational system. It is a shame that such a system could not sustain through societal issues and warfare; education should have been kept a priority over other changes. Rather than making changes within the system to accommodate new governments, the education system that was used should have been adopted into the new political system. Growing interest in Western education put Africa in the dust, a continent left behind in the midst of conflict. This neglect has carried forward into modern-day society. If primary education were to be offered in regions of Africa such as Congo and Tanzania, a growing concern that would need attention is population growth and control over the years. Schooling for all children would be ideal, but would that be realistic? The dilemma is that no child should be left behind. A familys monetary status should not be a determinant of whether or not a child can receive an education. Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa states that there is more than one obstacle to mass education. Issues include access to reading materials, most jobs do not require literacy, and schooling of such low quality that those who pass through years of schooling are barely literate (xix). It is a shame to think that years of schooling are not nearly as beneficial as they should be. Questions are asked of whether or not the end results are worth the expense, since the quality is so low. According to USA Today, governments in Africa declare that education is free, but there are of course hindering factors. Public secondary schools this year failed to report that there would still be charges for transportation, field trips, teacher conferences and building swimming pools for schools. The families have to pay these fees, as the
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governments are not willing to contribute to the quality of the public schools. There is a small chance that this was human error; perhaps the failure to report is derived from government corruption, and the attempt to deceive the public eye. Increasing population growth will not make it easier to support education that must constantly be expanded to provide for all. Since each nation has a limited amount of available funds, a balance must be achieved between the quantity and quality of education (Sunal xxi). There is only so much that outside relief efforts can help; rather, change must start from within, and then spread. In Wine to Water, Doc Hendley attempts to bring clean water to the regions of Darfur, but some of his efforts prove futile when political motives interfere (Hendley). Encounters throughout his journey with the Janjaweed, the military group sided with the government, thwart his labor. His work is demolished, making it only a temporary fix. Developing countries need to break the the cycle of poverty themselves in order for their living conditions to match those of citizens in developed countries. Throughout his trips to Haiti and Darfur, Hendley spread to locals the complete process of making their own water filtration systems, and fixing any broken pumps (Hendley). This form of education allows for change to occur even when outside efforts are not available. Over the years, the cost of providing education in Africa has risen. Teachers salaries have been raised, and the issue is that these salaries are usually paid for by the government. However, according to USA Today, it would be next to impossible to have Africa fund their own teachers, when their GDP is around 3.3 percent. U.S. partners and Kenyan community leaders have met to attempt to decide on a development strategy for the entire community. Change must come from within, but at the same time, the Kenyan
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community leaders need to be educated on the processes of progress and development, and the current obstacles to each. In these discussions, Cynthia Sunal, editor of Undertaking Challenges in the 21st Century mentions that factors such as lack of access to water and poverty were prominent. Grassroots empowerment initiatives, such as Hendleys initiative in Darfur of teaching the locals, were found to be more effective than a top-down approach. The African communities must make a united decision to attempt to teach their children. It must be recognized that education can do more than stimulate the mind; it can help teach self-reliance. A growing population is a challenge that will be faces in delivering primary education across sub-Saharan Africa. According to Schooling in sub-Saharan Africa, valid goals must be made clear in order for the effort and expense of providing education (6). Education can help citizens become literate and numerate, and it can also provide a base for education to be furthered later on. When a person is given knowledge, that knowledge can never be taken away. Children are the future of their own countries, and they will directly affect a countrys progress. Education is easier and more efficient to provide now compared to previous generations through the greater availability of technology. Technology can serve as an outlet for these children and they can begin to understand the issues surrounding them. They are not as globally connected as the average American citizen is, and they do not know what exists beyond their own world. Society is currently dominated by technology; extreme development would not be possible otherwise. According to African Higher Education Policy: A Survey of Sub-Saharan Africa, African universities do not only lack staff, but facilities as well (76). Training staff would be required for efficiency. However, staff would not reach their potential without proper facilities. Funding should
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be re-directed to enhance the quality of efficiency derived from proper equipment, such as Smart Boards and computers in the classroom. Education is one of the most powerful weapons to place in the hands of a child; with it, he can change the world, and help those around him. Rather than AK-47 machine guns, young boys in war-torn areas should only be carrying with them the information that will assist and guide them in further helping the world around them. The wars may not necessarily cease, but progress can still be made otherwise as for giving these children the opportunities and access to resources that are necessary for learning. In addition to a classroom setting, these children need to learn in a hands-on environment. They need to understand the diseases plaguing those around them, as well as the causes, and learn what it is like to work medical miracles on patients in a hospital. The importance of illness is often concerned with hygiene, a topic that should be detailed out for the locals. They need to understand diplomacy, and learn why countries, governments, or tribes are at odds with one another. They need to be in the field to understand how they can make a difference with this information. Specialists need to work with these children in order for them to understand these curricular aims. They will have the most powerful voice in the future if they can start to comprehend how inequities can be solved or helped. God helps those who help themselves. These communities may be attempting for change now, but they need resources and opportunities. If children in need of education start to help themselves, their families, and their communities rise from poverty, then they will be helped and they will begin to see actions fall into place.
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Some 46 million African children nearly half the school-age population have never set foot in a classroom, stated by the United Nations in USA Today. However, it is not too late. With the right access to resources initiated by the more fortunate, students can begin to learn the empowering feeling of learning something that could just very well save their lives. Now, Pascal and his brother are in school..

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Works Cited Domatob, Jerry K. African Higher Education Policy A Survey of Sub-Saharan Africa. San Francisco: International Scholars Publications, 1998. Print. Hendley, Doc. Wine to Water: How One Man Saved Himself While Trying to save the World. New York: Avery, 2012. Print. Kennedy, Elizabeth A. Africa's Children Struggle for Education - USATODAY.com. N.p., 21 July 2007. Web. 6 Oct. 2013. Sunal, Cynthia S., ed. Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Contemporary Issues and Future Concerns. New York & London: Garland, 1998. Print. "11 Facts About Education Around the World." Do Something. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2013.
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