Many people, including myself, tend to overlook the privilege that one has when being able to attend school and get an education. For many kids around the world, this privilege is something that they may not get to experience.
According to In Our World Data, out of the 787 million children in the world, 8% of said kids are not able to attend school. While the number may seem relatively small in comparison to the grand number, when putting it into perspective, that is almost 60 million children at 58.4 million children.
One of the main reasons as to why these children are unable to get the education they need are said to be because of conflict affecting their countries such as wars and or controlling groups. An example of said groups is the Taliban, which took control of Afghanistan again in mid-to-late 2021. After the takeover in 2021, the education of young girls in Afghanistan diminished drastically and are currently not allowed to pursue an education beyond secondary (middle) school.
Furthermore, poverty is the second biggest contributor to the lack of education for some children. Due to poverty, many families resort to taking their children out of school to work in order to gain income for their families.
For my grandmother, Erlinda De La Cruz Hernandez, the second reason as to why kids were taken out of school resonated with her. After being in school for not even a year, Hernandez’s father took her out of school due to the expenses of activities being too expensive. Even with the request of teachers to keep her enrolled, and the school’s offer to help her family, Hernandez’s father withdrew her from school and she worked to support her family until having her daughter.
“I loved school, I would have stayed in school if I had been given the chance,” expressed Hernandez.
She spoke on how the only reason that her brother was able to pursue his education and become a lawyer was because he paid for it himself by working multiple jobs and even collecting bottles and getting paid for them.
Stories like those of the girls in Afghanistan, and of my grandma, make me realize that I have taken and continue to take my education for granted. By gaining knowledge and life skills at school, kids are able to have a greater future in many cases, and possibly create the change in the world that will one day allow others to have an education of their own. They may be the ones that change education from being a privilege to a right.
Organizations to donate to that can help
https://impactful.ninja/best-charities-for-childrens-education/#1 – Impactful Ninja compiled a list of charities one can donate to to help fund children’s education.
https://malala.org/donate/afghanistan – Started by education activist Malala, this organization helps girls around the world get an education.
https://pencilsofpromise.org/ – Non-profit organization that builds schools, gives all donations to help children get educated and also offers teacher support for these schools.
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