Children living in poverty face numerous obstacles to obtaining an education. Some are obvious, such as not attending school, while others are more subtle. For example, the teacher at the school may not have received the necessary training to assist children in learning effectively.
Increasing access to education can benefit a society’s overall health and longevity, grow economies, and even combat climate change. However, in many developing countries, children’s access to education can be hampered by a variety of factors. Language barriers, gender roles, and reliance on child labor can all stymie progress toward providing a high-quality education. Children from disadvantaged communities are more likely to miss school than other children. This includes young girls and disabled children.
Here are ten of the most pressing global education challenges that the world must address right now in order to achieve Global Goal :
1.A lack of funding for education
Developing countries cannot rely solely on their own resources to fund education; more foreign aid is required.
According to the Global Partnership for Education, only 20% of education aid goes to low-income countries (GPE). In developing countries, however, 13 years of education costs an average of $1.25 per day per child.
It could make all the difference if each developing country invested just 15 cents more per child. There is currently a $39 billion funding gap between now and 2030 for providing quality education to all children. GPE encourages developing countries to devote 20% of their national budget to education, with primary education receiving 45% of that allocation.
2.Having no teacher, or having an untrained teacher
The most important predictor of student learning has been discovered to be teacher effectiveness. GPE is determined to combat the global teacher shortage.
There are insufficient teachers to provide universal primary and secondary education. Furthermore, many of the teachers who are currently employed are untrained. As a result, children are not getting a good education. There are 130 million school-aged children who are not learning basic skills such as reading, writing, and math.
The UN estimates that 69 million new teachers will be needed globally to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. To provide primary education to every child, 25.8 million school teachers must be recruited. Meanwhile, less than three-quarters of teachers in one out of every three countries are trained to national standards.
3.No classroom
Without the proper environment, a child cannot learn. Children in many Sub-Saharan African countries are frequently crammed into overcrowded classrooms, crumbling classrooms, or learning outside. They also lack textbooks, school supplies, and other tools necessary for academic success.
In Malawi, for example, a first-grade classroom has an average of 130 students. It’s not just a lack of classrooms that’s a problem; it’s also a lack of basic school amenities like running water and toilets.
In Chad, only one in every seven schools has potable water, and only one in every four has a toilet; furthermore, only one-third of the toilets that do exist are for girls only, creating a real disincentive and barrier for girls to attend school.
When girls lack access to safe toilets, they are frequently harassed or attacked while seeking a private place to go. Girls miss or drop out of school when they begin menstruating if they do not have access to sanitation facilities or sanitary products that allow them to manage their periods with pride and dignity.
4.A lack of learning materials
Outdated and worn-out textbooks are often shared by six or more students in many parts of the world. In Tanzania, for example, only 3.5% of all sixth grade pupils had sole use of a reading textbook. In Cameroon, there are 11 primary school students for every reading textbook and 13 for every mathematics textbook in second grade. Workbooks, exercise sheets, readers, and other core materials to help students learn their lessons are in short supply. Teachers also need materials to help prepare their lessons, share with their students, and guide their lessons.
5.The exclusion of children with disabilities
Despite the fact that education is a universal human right, the world’s 93 to 150 million disabled children are frequently denied access to school. In some of the world’s poorest countries, up to 95% of disabled children are not in school.
Students with disabilities have lower attendance rates and are more likely to be absent or drop out before finishing primary school. They are suspended or expelled at twice the rate of their non-special education peers.
Discrimination, a lack of inclusive teaching methods training among teachers, and a lack of accessible schools make this group particularly vulnerable to being denied their right to an education.
6. Being the ‘wrong’ gender
Simply put, gender is one of the primary reasons why children are denied an education. Despite recent advances in girls’ education, a generation of young women has been left behind. Over 130 million young women worldwide are not currently enrolled in school. One in every three girls in developing countries marries before the age of 18, and those who do usually drop out of school.
Girls benefit from attending school, as do their families, but poverty forces many families to choose which of their children to send to school. Girls frequently miss out because it is widely assumed that educating a girl is less valuable than educating a boy. Instead, they are sent to work, compelled to marry, or forced to stay at home to care for siblings and perform household chores. Girls also miss days of school each year or are too embarrassed to participate in class because their school does not provide adequate menstrual hygiene education or toilet facilities to manage their period.
7.Living in a country in conflict or at risk of conflict
Any war has many casualties, and education systems are frequently destroyed. Children who are exposed to violence are more likely to underachieve and drop out of school. The consequences of conflict cannot be overstated. Nearly 250 million children live in conflict-affected countries. More than 75 million children and young people aged 3 to 18 are currently in desperate need of educational assistance in 35 crisis-affected countries, with young girls being 90% more likely to drop out of secondary school in conflict zones than in other areas.
During conflicts, teachers and students frequently flee their homes, disrupting the continuity of learning. In total, 75 million children’s education has been disrupted by conflict or crisis, including natural disasters that destroy schools and the surrounding environment. According to the UN Refugee Agency, less than half of the world’s refugee children are enrolled in school. Worryingly, education has historically been a low priority in humanitarian aid to conflict-affected countries, accounting for less than 3% of global humanitarian assistance in 2016.
Without assistance, conflict-affected children are denied the opportunity to reach their full potential and rebuild their communities.
8. Distance from home to school
Many children around the world have to walk up to three hours in each direction to school. This is simply too much for many children, especially those with disabilities, those suffering from malnutrition or illness, or those who are required to help around the house. Imagine having to leave for school at 5 a.m. every day, only to return at 7 p.m. Many children, particularly girls, are vulnerable to violence on their long and perilous commutes to and from school.
9. Hunger and poor nutrition
Many children around the world have to walk up to three hours in each direction to school. This is simply too much for many children, especially those with disabilities, those suffering from malnutrition or illness, or those who are required to help around the house. Imagine having to leave for school at 5 a.m. every day, only to return at 7 p.m. Many children, particularly girls, are vulnerable to violence on their long and perilous commutes to and from school.
10.The expense of education
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clear that every child has the right to free primary education. In many developing countries, governments have announced the abolition of school fees over the past decades, resulting in a large increase in the number of children attending school.
