Archives - Education: Page 24
Author: amparo enriquez (Mon Jan 16, 2006 10:08 pm)
Title: Education for the poor
“Usha Narayane is a reminder of the difference that education makes, and I hope that she is a vision of the new Indian woman.”. NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF.
(New York Times, January 16, 2006).
Education is a wonderful tool to help poverty stricken countries out of their predicament. When poor women obtain education as a result, birth rate drops, family health increases and quality of life goes up too.
The state of Kerala in India is but one example of such a project.
Education is a wonderful tool that would help once all the basic needs are met. Poverty striken people usually don't have the basic needs so they can't focus on getting education because they are so worried about food.
We all would agree that basic education is a necessity. Did you know that, in many countries, especially those that are highly multilingual or former colonies, children are not able to receive any education in their first language. They are forced to receive whatever meager schooling is available in the language of the political elite or a former dominant power.
It's hard to learn when you're hungry--we have that problem in the US. I totally agree that education is the key to most of the problems the world is currently facing but solving that is still generations away. Without even basic conditions for living I don't think it's reasonable to knowledge transference.
If I can play devils advocate, or republican in this situation; yes education will fix many of the world’s problems, but for a second imagine if we were all equally educated. Where would be the comparative advantage? How will people make money for their expertise? Many of the world's industries and businesses will vanish overnight. The opportunity for a person to make money will be scarce. This may be a little extreme but it goes to show the dangers of a level playing field. In theory having each person be knowledgeable is great, but be honest with yourselves, this world was build off the back of exploitation of those who are weaker and less educated. It is all part of the circle of life. I do believe some action should be taken to increase the education rate across the world or even just the country, but let’s not get carried away. It is the simple minded people who don't gain the proper education that supply the revenue for the majority of global conglomerates.
Rhyco, I think you overestimate the intelligence of the masses. We aren't really talking about equal education in terms of knowledge for everyone. We are talking about an equal
opportunity for everyone. What they choose to do with that opportunity is their choice to make. This is where the lazy/ less motivated students created their own destiny. Most people cannot claim that they have always exhausted every single opportunity that came their way. With a level playing field, the more motivated and intelligent students will excel while others may, but at a slower pace. We are not all created with the same level of intelligence (learning styles, IQ's, etc), so it is quite a stretch to believe we would ever achieve equal educational levels.
A level playing field means that there will be more opportunity. Do you know what that would mean? More opportunity would mean that education would be less of a factor when it comes to determining who gets jobs. Employers will have to find some other determinant for employment, as the job market would become saturated with educated people. The college degree, MBA'S, PHD, etc will become pointless. This just might open up the door for job placement by social class or race.
Not true, employers are already dealing with such a situation. While education is a requirement in many jobs these days, employers are always searching for the students who stand out. How do you stand out? Not by your race or social status, but by your community involvement, your personal and professional expectations, and your previous work experience. Why do you think internships are so highly recommended for college students? Past experience in your field provides an excellent step ahead of the rest. Similarly, community service illustrates to prospective employers that you are an eager participant in activities other than work. This is important as organizational behavior teaches us that as the workplace becomes more of a social atmosphere, productivity and morale improve. By showing that you are a well-rounded applicant, you are telling the employers that you would be the perfect addition to their social and professional network. While it is true that simply having a college degree will not carry as much weight in a more equal educational setting, it does not mean that they become pointless. It will, however, result in an increase in higher degrees being sought. The last change in collegiate development was that many more students were going to college. With an even playing field, the next step would mean more students staying in school for MBA's, PhD’s, etc. This in turn translates to a more highly educated population, which means the United States will gain on the world population. We desperately need such a gain.