EDUCATION IS THE ONLY MEANS WHICH CAN LEAD TO THE UPLIFTMENT OF POVERTY
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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”…
Nelson Mandela
The 9 lettered word “education”, holds its significance , stretching beyond numbers , letters, words and sentences. It’s the only means which can lift the society from sheer darkness to rays of hope. Education brings consciousness, with consciousness comes realization and with realization, one acquires the ability to judge between right and wrong. True to the famous quote by Sir Mandela, education is the most trusted and powerful weapon to fight against malignancies of all sorts, poverty being the greatest among them all! Poverty is one of the greatest virus that for generations had gripped the developing parts of world and had kept them at the peripheries or at the mercies of the developed nations. But as mentioned by Confucius, “Education breeds Confidence, Confidence breeds Hopes and Hopes being Peace”, it’s only knowledge imparted through means of education that can instil seeds of confidence, hopes in a child’s mind. And this Confidence in him only motivates him to uplift his surrounding conditions, thereby alleviating poverty.
Education can break the shell and shackles of our living conditions. It is thus the catalyst, whose aid in societal reactions, can bring development, prosperity and in turn can pull out families and communities , from the evil grasp of hunger to an aura of happiness forever. According to the EFA Global Monitoring Reports “Education Transforms” booklet shows that, education not only helps individuals escape poverty, by developing the skills they need to improve their livelihoods, but also generates productivity that fuels economic growth. Further a report by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Team (GEM) shows that, nearly 60 million people worldwide could escape poverty, if the adults could complete secondary education. However, in a developing country like India, where poverty and hunger seems to spread its roots deep, far and wide and affluency is still a far-sighted cry for many and tethered with inequality, social taboos and rigid norms , the relationship between education and it’s role for eradicating poverty seems somewhat complex. However, it’s important to keep in mind that, we have a huge section of labour or unskilled population, and only education can bring a change into their lives, for education not only brings knowledge, but also cultural changes, transitions and progressive social changes…Let us now delineate the reasons as to why or how education can uplift poverty :
Education can lead to the increase or increment in family income
Education and poverty are inversely related to one another. The greater the level of education, the lesser will be the poverty rates; education instills knowledge and abilities which people can utilize to earn high incomes or further develop other basic assets. It can further aid people with low income to explore economic opportunities. Education also acts as a cushion against unpredictability, for poor people, as even fundamental skills acquired during primary school can make an insurmountable difference in the sustenance of families.
Education can reduce the gender differences
Education can also diminish the disparities between the genders. Greater education of parents perhaps, enhances the treatment towards children especially, the daughters. The gap between the education of son and daughter tends to be smaller when parents are educated. Moreover, educated men and women spend more in their personal as well as their children’s health. Hence, education is the most important element in a person’s life owing to their physical, mental, psychological and spiritual health.
Education fosters Economic Development
Education is imperative to Economic development. It lays the foundation on which the economic and social well-being of a person is built. It is the key force in surging the efficiency of economy by increasing the value of manpower and thereby, raising the poor from poverty. Education increases the overall productivity of people and makes them competitive in the ever-changing markets. It provides alternate modes of employment, from unskilled to skilled competencies, to vocational jobs in the market and aiding in the progress of the overall GDP of a country or fostering in social and human capital.
Education empowers women
Education acts as the centre stage in emancipating women. It bestows them with potency to achieve more in their personal and professional lives. Moreover, education enables women to have better opportunities at workforce leading to increased income and less isolation at home. Women are able to accomplish their dreams by chasing their own goals and values. Without good education, girls often marry and have children at a very young age, work in unpaid or low paying positions and rely on their husbands/families for economic support. Their future thus becomes limited. An education not only benefits women with indefinite knowledge and skills but it also makes them an integral part of the society leading them to make their own decisions whilst making a meaningful impact in the world. And as the saying goes that a child learns his or her first knowledge from the mother, so one can understand how education is important for women, for a better world to thrive in.
Education create opportunities for better lifestyle And Standards Of Living
Education helps people to improve their food intake by not only raising their incomes and spend on food but also by inducing them to make better, healthier choices. Family with higher income has time to exercise regularly, eat nutritious food and pay for health services. Contrarily, lack of job and low wages linked with less or no education put individuals and families in a more vulnerable situation which gives rise to poor nutrition and can harm their family and health relationships. Education creates awareness about our own environment and surroundings, leading to the curb of several communicable diseases as well as improving the standards of health.
Hence, it’s true that in order to become productive members of the society, poor people need quality and affordable education. There had and has been quite a lot of initiatives, taken by the concerned authorities to improve the quality of formal education here, and we can find that hosts of institutions offer scholarship programs to the meritorious students, in order to make the learning process unhindered and to reduce the number of drop outs. Access to education is integral in lifting the people out of the poverty and bringing them onto the aura of happiness. And in a country like India, the underprivileged can only escape the vicious cycle of poverty through education. Therefore consciousness for the need of education is of utmost necessity and it’s only consciousness which ignites an illuminating conscience!
