Health and education are friends, are inseparable. With poor education people can end up with poor health as it is said in the moodle/unipid that, increased education has been an indication to improve health in different levels, at individual level, society level and at global level. The second UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) aimed at Achieving Universal Primary Education by 2015. The way I see, it is hard to achieve this goal at 100%, we still have a long way to go. If we evaluate the state of education across the globe, the image would shock many of us. Current estimates place the number of out of school children at 93 million which is more than the entire population of Phillipines (http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation /index_44870.html). The majority of these children are girls, and almost 80% of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
From the Millenium Development Goals to the Dakar Declaration, countries have repeatedly committed themselves to achieving Universla Primary Education and eliminating gender disparites at all levels of education by 2025. The number of enrolment at different level of education is not the same as the number of school attendance. Take example of Tanzania in Table 5 of Education, primary school enrolment ratio (2000-2006) net was 99 and 97 for males and females respectively, while the primary school attendance ration net in the same years was 71 and 75 for males and females respectively. This figures shows that there are many who drop on the way. This data is for one country, other countries shows different trend. With this trend I don't believe if we can meet the second MDG which aimed at Achieving Universal Primary Education. We will work to a certain point not one hundred percent.
I spent sometimes listening to the video in the course and realize that education is very important and is a good thing for anyone to have. One video was composed in Ethiopia. Student in that video showed very good ambitious after school. Some were expecting to be teachers, to be doctors, to be pilots and even to be soldiers. According to the video there are different importance of education, life saving, life sustenance and education lay a foundation for peace and development.
Basing on the table the situation is shorking especially for women. Enrolment to all level of education is not the same. Men are leading in enrollment numbers in many countries. And when you look on the number of women completing different level of education is also discouraging. There are many cause of this which is not obvious in the table. It is very difficult to meet Millennium Development Goal with this speed. Women has a lot of setbacks including taking care of the family, susceptible to problems like marriage, pregnancies and culture. Some of the societies are not read to educate girls, there is a notion that parents or relatives will not benefit from girls because after education they will get marriage. thus the husband or the husband's relatives will benefit the fruits of education which the girl have acquired. Take Sub-Saharan Africa for example, the number of men and women completing different level of education in comparison with enrolment is decreasing, but for women is more decreasing.
My comments is that, education is a better contraceptive for poor health. To have healthy and energetic people, education should be the priority. When I was listening the video in the course I realize that, education is a tool for liberation. The video portrayed the student from Ethiopia with positive ambitions after completing their education. I explained this in the beginning. All these ambitious are hindered by different factors, culture, scio-economic factors, beliefs, corruption and politicalfactors.
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3 comments:
Hi!
I think you have done a great job by describing so well what the table of Unicef shows us in an overview. You already described the shocking amount of the state of education across the globe, especially to girls. The Millenium goals are indeed very important by achieving the goals that increase the amount of people attending in schools. Do you think that it can be done or at least can help if women would be encouraged to work when they are adults? I think that the gender gap in the labour market (as described in the chapter by Joana Costa and Elydia Silva, International Poverty Centre The Burden of Gender Inequalities for Society) can play an important role by reducing gender inequalities of education, mostly by letting woman make money to pay for schools and reduce poverty. What is your opinion about that?
I totally agree with your´s opinion of education: Education is a better contraceptive for poor health. To have healthy and energetic people, education should be the priority.
You said: "Women has a lot of setbacks including taking care of the family, susceptible to problems like marriage, pregnancies and culture. Some of the societies are not read to educate girls, there is a notion that parents or relatives will not benefit from girls because after education they will get marriage. thus the husband or the husband's relatives will benefit the fruits of education which the girl have acquired."
This is so true and I'm very happy you pointed this one out. So it is just the money, but other things in culture that makes parents to decide that boys should get the education before girls. The girls are packed with so much responsibilities and duties in their life time with enormous tasks when bearing and taking care of the children. The question maybe is: should we try to change the family structure (who takes care of the household) or should we just reduce the poverty in the families so that families could afford to put both genders into school?
But like I said, I don't think every girl would get good education even if the family could afford it, because inequal education possibilities have deeper roots in the society than just lacking of money. Its all about life values.
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