Based on my 14 years of work in developing countries and with marginalized people in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the USA, I believe that education is a basic human right. I know that education is intricately linked to empowerment, to consciousness, to participation in community and civic society, and to more fully enjoying the independent free will and agency which is divinely bestowed inside each person on the planet.
I believe education will only improve if it is legislated as a "human right" - with proper penalties for violation of it by countries, parents, employers, or international bodies - and that treating it as a "human right" includes holding governments accountable for providing ACCESS to free high-quality educational opportunity (which is sorely lacking in most countries).
I believe that mandating education through a certain level is important - although I believe it doesn't have to match the existing standards of Grade I, II, II etc. Basic education and vocational education reap rewards far greater than some standardized curricula by which students and teachers seem sifted through barbaric sieves. However, the definition of "literate" is often weak and ineffective (e.g. "One who can sign his/her name" in Pakistan); therefore, I believe there must be a mandate of basic skills encompassed by "Education for All."
My first experience with refugees was in London in 1995, where I met Fabien Kitoy, a political asylee from the Congo. Because he was literate, he was able to read French newspapers about the circumstances in his country, dynamics that shaped his personal well-being, and economic and political events that impacted the safety of his family and his entire nation. Although a refugee in a foreign land, he was equipped with skills that enabled him to access information, to advocate for his rights, and to be a problem-solver for those in dire circumstances at home.
In contrast, during 1997-1999, I worked with illiterate widows in South Africa who were trying to provide for their several children while building lean-to dwellings in a squatter-camp outside East London. Without the ability to read, they were limited in the information accessible to them and were stifled in their opportunities to make a stable income. They could not advocate for themselves nor their families and they were politically, culturally, and socially disenfranchised. I realized that illiteracy is a catalyst for and a canker to dependency.
In Pakistan, I worked on a USAID grant to provide literacy skills to 100,000 illiterate rural villagers in Sindh and Balochistan. Although the program was "successful" in its plan to "make literate" over 115,000 villagers, I am still haunted by the questions asked to me on my final site visit to the literacy centers: "What is to happen next, sister?"
The echo of voices still resonate on this chord: "Before this class, we were as blind people unable to see. And now, the light of literacy has given us SIGHT, for which we are grateful. But, how do we build on this knowledge? We have no books, we have no newspapers, we have no manuals. And, we have no money to buy such things. What can we do to continue on this path?"
Despite desire and ability (albeit rudimentary reading and writing skills), there are still key question for which I seek answers: "How do we empower the rural neo-literates in developing countries to ACCESS quality educational tools, to TAILOR these learning objects to their own needs, and to SHARE them with their families or others in their community?"
I believe education will only improve if it is legislated as a "human right" - with proper penalties for violation of it by countries, parents, employers, or international bodies - and that treating it as a "human right" includes holding governments accountable for providing ACCESS to free high-quality educational opportunity (which is sorely lacking in most countries).
I believe that mandating education through a certain level is important - although I believe it doesn't have to match the existing standards of Grade I, II, II etc. Basic education and vocational education reap rewards far greater than some standardized curricula by which students and teachers seem sifted through barbaric sieves. However, the definition of "literate" is often weak and ineffective (e.g. "One who can sign his/her name" in Pakistan); therefore, I believe there must be a mandate of basic skills encompassed by "Education for All."
My first experience with refugees was in London in 1995, where I met Fabien Kitoy, a political asylee from the Congo. Because he was literate, he was able to read French newspapers about the circumstances in his country, dynamics that shaped his personal well-being, and economic and political events that impacted the safety of his family and his entire nation. Although a refugee in a foreign land, he was equipped with skills that enabled him to access information, to advocate for his rights, and to be a problem-solver for those in dire circumstances at home.
In contrast, during 1997-1999, I worked with illiterate widows in South Africa who were trying to provide for their several children while building lean-to dwellings in a squatter-camp outside East London. Without the ability to read, they were limited in the information accessible to them and were stifled in their opportunities to make a stable income. They could not advocate for themselves nor their families and they were politically, culturally, and socially disenfranchised. I realized that illiteracy is a catalyst for and a canker to dependency.
In Pakistan, I worked on a USAID grant to provide literacy skills to 100,000 illiterate rural villagers in Sindh and Balochistan. Although the program was "successful" in its plan to "make literate" over 115,000 villagers, I am still haunted by the questions asked to me on my final site visit to the literacy centers: "What is to happen next, sister?"
The echo of voices still resonate on this chord: "Before this class, we were as blind people unable to see. And now, the light of literacy has given us SIGHT, for which we are grateful. But, how do we build on this knowledge? We have no books, we have no newspapers, we have no manuals. And, we have no money to buy such things. What can we do to continue on this path?"
Despite desire and ability (albeit rudimentary reading and writing skills), there are still key question for which I seek answers: "How do we empower the rural neo-literates in developing countries to ACCESS quality educational tools, to TAILOR these learning objects to their own needs, and to SHARE them with their families or others in their community?"
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