Discrimination in South African Schools Becoming a Thing of the Past

            Could you imagine being in a school that had no diversity? This is once how in was in South Africa. Schools were not open to everybody. It all depended on your race the schools were divided into black, coloured, Indian and white. Not only this but if you were disabled you most likely would not get an education. Journal article South Africa: first steps in the development of an inclusive education system, written by Lilian Lomofsky and Sandy Lazarus (Faculty of Education, University of the Western Cape), discusses the steps being taken to change education in this country.

            In the year of 1996 there was a big change in the education system with the South African Schools Act. This act ordered that schools shall be non-discriminatory by making schools open to all races and allow for all kid’s ages 7 to 15 to receive an education, including students with special educational needs. South Africa has an alarming rate of 40%-50% of their students who are considered to be in need of special education, who before this South African Schools Act were not getting any sort of education. You may wonder why there is such an alarming rate of kids who are considered in need of special education. Lomofsky and Lazarus state that “The Human Sciences Research Council Report on Education for Black Disabled had attributed it to environmental disadvantages such as poverty, lack of awareness, lack of access to medical and health care facilities, political violence, and lack of opportunities to learn.”

            So it seems that South Africa is making an effort to improve education, but is far from getting it to be where it needs to be. Education should start before the age of 7 and continue on past age 15. There should also be opportunities for these children to gain a higher education. In order to make it completely better, focus should not only be on education but also making their lives better. This could be done by building a stronger economic country. There are many factors can affect a child’s learning other than just what is happening at school. These children need more stability in their lives to be able to succeed educationally.

A South Africa classroom with diversity

 

Works Cited.

Lomofsky, Lilian, and Sandy Lazarus. "South Africa: First Steps In The Development Of An Inclusive Education System." Cambridge Journal Of Education 31.3 (2001): 303-317. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 June 2013.

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHOqfrOkCkU

Higher Education = Better Life

            One may say money can’t buy happiness. Would you agree with this? Many people would disagree with this, and agree that life is a lot easier if you have a career that gives you a descent paycheck. Although at what cost will it be to you to get that higher education? Many colleges are raising tuition rates making it difficult for people to be able to afford to get a higher education. This would prove to be especially true for those undocumented students that are not able to get financial assistance, which I discussed in the previous post I made.

            In the New England Journal of Higher Education, Author Philip DiSalvio talks about rising college tuition rates and the burden they are having on students. DiSalvio states, “student loan debt is up 15%, household incomes are down 11% and it appears that this is affecting college enrollments because state-by-state enrollments appear to be down.” DiSalvio also states that “the cost of college rose 440% between 1982 and 2007.” With the rising costs of college tuition, gas, groceries, and pretty much everything else in this economic downfall many people probably feel that paying a student loan is another bill that they cannot afford to pay.

So how much of a difference does having college education have on ones total household income? Well the graph below shows an average of $20,000 more a year for having an associate’s degree rather than just a high school diploma. Even though college costs may be a bit discouraging I hope this graph will show what a difference a college education could make and encourage people to continue their education. It will be well worth it in the end.  

 

Works Cited

DiSalvio, Philip. "Bubble Wrap: Higher Education And The Value Gap." New England Journal Of Higher Education (2012): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 June 2013

 

 

Unfair justice too close to home

     We have all heard about and seen some disturbing ways a person’s right to an education has been taken away among many different countries around the world. Did you know that people here in the United States are facing this same issue by not being able to get a higher education? A 1982 Supreme Court decision, guaranteed undocumented children the right to a free public school education, although this ruling was only subjected to apply through high school. During this court case Edward Drachman, author of a journal article, Access to Higher Education for Undocumented Students, wrote about how important getting an education is. Drachman talked about what would happen to these undocumented students if they were denied an education, “it imposes a lifetime hardship on a discrete class of children not accountable for their disabling status, [and that] the stigma of illiteracy will mark them for the rest of their lives.” So wouldn’t the inability to get a higher education have the same effect on them? Why are we making it almost impossible for these individuals to get the higher education they are seeking?

          

     Some of the ways we are making it impossible for these individuals to get a higher education is by not giving them the same rights citizens are getting. By this I mean we are not allowing them to get in-state tuition rates or financial assistance. This is making it financially impossible for many of these students to pursue their educational goals. California is one of the few states allowing for students to get in-state tuition and financial aid after the 2011 dream act passed into a law. This law states if a student is pursuing to get on the path of citizenship they will be eligible for such benefits. It is time we make this policy universal to the entire United States. It is time that we give these hard working individuals the same opportunity as the rest of us. Let them get their education and put their hard work to use in this country that is supposed to be the “Land of Opportunity”

Works Cited

Drachman, Edward. "Access To Higher Education For Undocumented Students." Peace Review 18.1 (2006): 91-100. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 June 2013

 http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/dream-act/

           

 

 

 

 

 

Education crisis in Latin America

 

     Could you imagine living in a country that is filled with almost fifteen million illiterate people? Well that is the case in some Latin American countries, which includes Brazil. Not only is this an enormous amount of people, but apparently the amount of people who are not receiving a higher education is on the rise. In an academic journal an article, Adult education as a human right: The Latin American context and the ecopedagogic perspective, makes for an interesting dispute. “The right to education does not end when a person has reached the so-called “proper” age; it continues to be a right for the duration of everyone’s entire life.” (Gadotti) If this is true then why are there so many illiterate people in these countries?

            In 2008 it was reported that Brazil had an alarming total of 14,247 million illiterate adults which was an increase from the previous number of 14,136 million. In this country they believe that as long as you get an education through high school, which is available to the people of these Latin countries, that this should be sufficient enough. When discussions arise about the illiteracy rates Gadotti states, “Many public policies see the fight against illiteracy as a cost and not as an investment.”

            So you may wonder what consequences there are when you have such a large amount of illiterate people. Gadotti states, “according to the “World Wealth Report” there are 194 million poor people with 71 million of those living in extreme poverty.” He believes the lack of education is to blame for extreme poverty, unemployment, food crises, environmental crises, and wars.

            It is time that the governments of these countries realize that a higher education can improve the country as a whole. It’s time to make a change and give all these individuals regardless of their economic status an opportunity to not become part of the statistic.

Works Cited

Gadotti, Moacir. "Adult Education As A Human Right: The Latin American Context And The Ecopedagogic Perspective." International Review Of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift Für Erziehungswissenschaft 57.1/2 (2011): 9-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 June 2013

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRFmmgzlu2o

 

A girl's right to an education

Many years ago society was looked upon much differently. In a normal household the boys and men would be outside working and providing for the family, while the woman and girls would be inside cooking and keeping the house clean. Life is much different now. It is not uncommon to see the man stay home and take care of the house and kids, while the woman works and provides for the family. Kids are not given much responsibility other than to go to school and do simple chores. Inequality is a thing of the past. Or is it? Do we take advantage here in the U.S. of the simple things like being able to go to school and get an education?

The right to a free primary and secondary education is a human right, but it seems in some countries around the world this human right is non-existent. For example in Pakistan thirty-two million girls do not go to school. In this country the men believe that girls don’t need an education for their role in society. Those who try to go to school may be a victim of violent crimes committed towards them. A recent case is that of Malala Yousafzai, a fifteen year old girl from Pakistan who was shot in the head for protesting her belief of a girl’s right to an education.

This situation needs to be fixed. Educational rights should not be determined on if you’re male or female. These girls who just want an education should not have to fear for their life to get what it their human right to get.

http://www.northeastern.edu/news/2012/11/walters/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/28/opinion/gordon-brown-girls-education/index.html?iref=allsearch