Education

Forget field trips, calculators, reading groups, and student council. For many children, simple things such as reading a book, owning a pencil, singing the alphabet, and memorizing timetables are out of their reach.

Access to education is denied to children throughout the world. It's a common phenomenon that a child could grow up never having set foot in a classroom, or even learning the very basic skills that will prepare him/her to function in society. The statistics about education are astounding:

• 104 million children ages 5 to 12 do not attend school;
• 150 million children leave school illiterate;
• 94 percent of children who don't attend school live in the developing world.

Low attendance in schools and access to education is directly linked to poverty. The poorer a child, the less likely the child is to attend school. Because poor families often rely on their children to help supplement their income, children are either pulled out of school for seasonal work, or simply cannot attend at all. Child labor is one of the main reasons children drop out of school; 246 million children are child laborers

Children may also not attend school because they are ill, one or both of their parents is ill, or they have been orphaned. Many children cannot afford the fees associated with attending school, such as buying a uniform or purchasing school supplies.

While both boys and girls have difficulty obtaining an education, girls are often discriminated against because of their gender. Two-thirds of students who drop out of school are girls. Girls are kept at home to help run the household or are married at a young age.

Even when children do attend school, the quality of education has declined. Classes have increased in size and many times the ratio between teacher and student can be in the hundreds. Demoralized by class size and structure, lack of teaching resources, and low pay, teachers sometimes just fill a space. Schools are often closed at random and teachers cancel classes frequently.

What makes these statistics even more disheartening is that education is one of the main drivers for ending extreme poverty. Girls who are educated are able to better protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, marry later in life, have healthier children, and can have work opportunities beyond the home. Boys who are educated may be able to break a family cycle of hard labor and typically earn more than their non-educated counterparts.

Most importantly, however, children who are educated can help direct the future of their country. They can contribute to the country's social health and become direct contributors to ending extreme poverty by 2025.