By Samuel Oluwatosin Roselyn
Real time educational problems and solutions to it.
Introduction
Education is one of the basic requirements for every individual to fulfill lifelong goals as well as being a positive influence in society and the world. Education has been termed to be a basic human right in many developing countries yet it has been discovered that several challenges have been encountered.
It is surprising that many of these challenges come from the Educational system and it also stems from several outward influences like economic situations amongst others. However different countries may have different Educational challenges, for instance, underdeveloped countries due to economic meltdown may have countless numbers of Parents unable to afford proper care for their children including Education.
According to the United Nations, the no of children and young adults who are not given the opportunity to study and learn in school is estimated to be about 262 million worldwide. Education empowers children to be future leaders and also enables them to be useful for the growth and development of the society.
With Education, children can obtain the power to grow the economies of their nations, end poverty and malnutrition, improve healthy living, fight against climate change, and racism. This means that Education is the solution to many of the biggest challenges the planet is encountering.
This article is set to reveal major challenges plaguing the educational system in the world today as well as the causes and how to work on them.
What is Education?
According to Wikipedia, Education can be defined as the process of making learning available for individuals or acquiring knowledge, skills, beliefs, values, and habits. There are several Educational methods identified in the World today. They include teaching, training, discussion, storytelling, and conducted research.
People that are learning can educate themselves, however education usually takes place under the counsels and dictations of the Educators.
There are two settings in which Education can take place; they are the formal and informal settings as well as any other learning experience that is effective in shaping the way an individual thinks, feels, or acts is what can be viewed as educational.
Universal Education development is a journey that has begun for the past 150-200years, Literacy of ancient civilization has existed for 3500BC with different writing systems put in place in different countries all over the world.
How Universal Public Education Came Into Existence?
Horace Mann was the man who founded the popular Public Educational system that we are all accustomed to today. This happened in the year 1837 when he was appointed as the acting secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education which was a board that was just formed.
He was popularly known as the Father of the Common school, and a passionate nursery student teacher. Mann wanted to introduce a system that would enable people to compete, learn, trade ideas, and instill creative work that could be useful to the society as well as addressing World issues. Achieving all this and helping these individuals to be financially independent was his sole purpose. His passion for promoting public education reformed the educational system.
The logic behind Mann’s method was to ensure Education can train people in the art of competition so that the public can get employed for jobs.
The habits taught in school could help them to eventually get promoted in their various jobs, with promotion earnings increase, thereby helping them to attain financial independence. This was to create balance in the economy.
Mann said “ Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery. This system made students to be addressed as a group instead of addressing them individually.
The educational system was no longer difficult to handle, with these schools focused their teachings on respect of higher authority, punctuality, measurement, basic literacy, and basic arithmetic.
All this was to prepare the generation for the industrialization era which was different from the Agricultural era they were accustomed to.
The Educational System of Today
Today the Educational system has experienced a transition from the time of Mann mostly due to the presence of an accelerating trend of technological innovations. Mann’s method may be termed old school or outdated, but it is still employed in many educational institutions today. However, it may not be useful for this current technology and digital generation.
Educational Challenges and How to Overcome them?
- Less Funding for Education in Developing Countries
There is not enough funding for education in underdeveloped countries. Several organizations like the Non-government organizations amongst others make donations for Educational funding but it doesn’t seem to be enough. If the donations are calculated for each child who can’t afford to school, it is not enough to help them through all the years needed for education, this is according to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
They went on to estimate the average cost of one child per day to be $1.25 for 13 years of education, and it is less than 20% of these funds that are given to the Underdeveloped countries. This calculation reveals that there is currently a shortage of $39 billion hindering all the children from quality education by 2030.
Solution
This is a clarion call to developing countries to support by contributing 20% of their national budget which can bridge the gap of the extra 15 cents needed for each child to enjoy education. Most developing countries are unable to finance their own educational system hence depend on foreign funds for educational aid.
- Unavailability of Learning Materials
In many countries around the globe, the countless number of children do not have access to quality and new learning materials. Few ones that have may have to share one textbook, cases of 11 primary school children sharing just one reading textbook or 13 grade 2 children sharing a mathematics textbook has been noticed in some very undeveloped countries. This is not a comfortable and suitable learning condition for students, it also affects the teachers in aiding a good learning experience for children. In some countries even teachers are not paid well neither is teaching materials made available for them.
Solution
Funds should be raised by global organizations to reach out to countries and schools, who are suffering from a shortage of learning materials. This is highly important for educational systems in the world, for without quality and available learning materials; quality education can not take place. If a child is sent to school without basic learning tools, such a student is not well equipped. Society needs to understand learning materials is as important as a child going to school.
- Unavailability as well as Insufficient Well Trained Teachers
Many learning institutions do not have enough teachers and some of the teachers available are not well trained or certified. This is an area of interest because teachers have a vital role to play in the lives of these children. Unqualified teachers pose a big problem in the educational system because children are like blank slates that absorb everything they are taught easily.
Hence wrong teachers equal improper learning structure or half-baked education. It is recorded that over 130 million students are in school yet not learning elementary subjects Math, reading, writing, and aptitude tests. According to the United Nations internationally, over 69 million new teachers are estimated to accomplish global primary and secondary education by 2030. In the meantime, just one out of three countries have less than 31/3 trained teachers according to the national standard.
Solution
Teachers training should be encouraged in many countries to provide more qualified teachers for students. Every educational institution should not employ less than the normal standard required for teachers.
- Insufficient Classrooms and Basic facilities/ Infrastructures in Schools
Many schools in underdeveloped countries do not have basic facilities, in some cases it is not enough. Not many places for learning can boast of quality operating facilities like well-equipped classrooms, running water, toilets, or even sick bays. Shortage of classrooms in some schools results in overcrowding of students in one classroom, it has been recorded in some sub-Saharan African countries that an average of over 130 students is crowded in a classroom.
Solution
Funds should also be raised for the facilities and basic amenities that can make schools a suitable and comfortable learning environment.
- Not Using the Latest Curriculum
The educational system has gone through many transformations from years past until today, despite these transformations, there have not been many changes observed in any part of the curriculum.
Solution
One of the changes that should be implemented in the curriculum is to stop the standard exams many students undertake. This is because standard exams may not help students learn at their own pace in their own way. The teacher should be responsible for the grading system because standard exams work in a way that students compete with each other to meet a set standard and not the teacher’s grade system.
- No Boundaries Between Education and Entertainment
In the world of today there are so many activities that are more entertaining than educational. Due to the fact that students enjoy using technology, most teachers are encouraged to entertain more than helping children through the learning process.
Solution
In these situations, it is not that education is completely against entertainment. Nevertheless, students should be educated properly about why technology and games may be introduced in the curriculum and involving them in every learning process.
- Time for Internships Not Set Aside
In most schools, the curriculum doesn’t include time for internships or volunteer jobs. Although some schools have started embracing the idea by giving students an avenue to practice work learned. However, it is not recognized and encouraged because the normal curriculum is choked already with so many classwork projects and assignments. Volunteer jobs will go a long way to improve every student’s learning process and also give them the practical experience they need.
Solution
This should be considered in schools worldwide to encourage students and boost their confidence when they become part of the hiring process.
- Gender Inequality
In many countries around the world, the female gender is discouraged from going through the education process. Few of them who get educated against all odds are frowned upon because many people in such countries believe getting the male child educated is more productive than the female. It is recorded that over 132 million young females are denied access to education just because they are females. In countries that are just developing, every one out of three girls below the age of 18 years is forced into marriage and not allowed to attend school.
Solution
More campaigns should be taken across the globe to sensitize the public that every female child has a right to education.
In conclusion, these are the urgent challenges the Educational system is facing especially in developing countries. There is a need to take the challenges seriously and tackle it with urgency because education is an essential part of the world. Let’s hear your view’ use the comment box below. Thanks for reading
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