Education Goals

Keeping Up with the 21st Century’s Demands

(This piece was recognized as a finalist in the 2015 International New York Times Asia-Pacific Writing Competition.)

Look at where we are now.

Throughout thousands of millennia, our species has reached this far. The everyday man has evolved from plant foraging and tribal fighting to utilizing nearly every percent of natural resource on this planet for the benefit of all. We now exist in an era where technology empowers man, information travels at the click of a gadget, and liberty is a right worth fighting for. Man has developed this much, and indeed it is an achievement worth much glee.

Yet challenges still permeate modern society. Wars rage on, diseases remain rampant, and ignorance reigns supreme in a world that, despite the level of advancement, keeps its eyes and ears shut to injustice. Despite the dilemmas that have survived, one dream has kept the victims going, as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has professed:

In almost all my visits to areas ravaged by war and disaster, the plea of survivors is the same: “Education first.”

Absolutely. It is in common consensus that education is the ultimate solution to the alleviation of worldly problems. Man has evolved by adaptation to environmental conditions, and man adapts through learning. In meeting the demands of the 21st Century, global education must remain a paramount objective for nations across the world, yet many obstructions still manifest to hamper the realization of this noble goal, as according to the UN, 58 million children are not in school. This absence from a bright future is what an out-of-school youth faces. This loss of a potentially productive citizen is what a nation faces. This malignant number is what the world faces.

Now, as human existence reaches a pivotal era wherein the ordinary man delves deeper into enlightenment in many issues, ranging from climate change, to racial discrimination, to income inequality, global education has become an essential factor in promoting global unity, peace, and prosperity. Many organizations and governments have instigated the crusade to ensure that kids get the best start in life, yet many are denied of such a right, tantamount to the denial of a brighter future due to poverty, conflict, and discrimination. In an ever-complicated world, the everyday person must return to a critical query. In an increasingly demanding world, how can we provide kids around the world with a better future through education?

First, poverty should not, at any cost, prevent a child to go to school, as the hidden potentials embedded in a person chooses no economic status. In a 2011 report by the World Bank, just over a billion people still remain in poverty, living at less than $1.25, a colossal number of people deprived of life’s opportunities. As a basic right which is bestowed upon all, going to school must be free of any form of expense. In order to empower the future generation, governments must provide adequate facilities, infrastructure, and learning quality that requires no payback from the learner, as by eliminating financial constraints, education can be expanded further globally.

Second, conflict must have no place between a child and the bright future in store for him/her, whether it be war, partisan bickering in government, or any other form of dispute. In terms of physical dispute, 34 million out-of-school children live in countries which face conflict as noted by the UN. For the sake of those who will inherit today’s gains, put the guns down, do away with political squabbles, and discard any form of disagreement, rather unite upon the great big dream of giving children all over the world the legacy that is quality education. End the cross fire, go beyond it, and do your part in building the grand future that every child wants.

Lastly, eliminate all forms of discrimination within the four corners of the classroom, as in gender for example, 61% of illiterate young children are girls, according to the UN. Unfair and senseless treatment, whether from bullies, authorities, or other personalities due to race, intelligence, gender, or faith must be put to an end. In building a better future for the human race, everyone must take part in establishing a culture of equality and unity, wherein children can go to school knowing no fear, but instead knowing that a great future is ahead.

Indeed, a great future is ahead, a future that will be the result of the everyday person’s actions and inaction. As everyone aspires to create a better tomorrow you, the everyday person, must rise up and take the challenge of a demanding 21st Century even in the smallest of ways, and reach the goals of providing the future citizens of the world an education which will be worth the fight.

Now, look at where we are now.