Education: Is it Really Valued Throughout the World?

Education: Valued Throughout the World?

The value a country puts on education will directly affect its quality of life.

Throughout the world, many different education systems exist and in some countries, there is no education system at all. In some countries it can be so hard to get an education that children have to fight for their right to an education. In some cases girls have been abducted or attacked by people who do not see the value in educating young girls as well as boys. Often, these occurrences happen in third world countries where an education is the least of the people’s worries when most days it’s hard enough to find enough to eat. Why is there so much poverty in countries that are uneducated? In Western and other wealthy countries education has always been highly valued and is taken for granted because it is something we just assume everyone has access to. Based on recent events and thriving cultures, it is evident that the value a country puts on its education will directly affect its quality of life.

 In China, education is taken very seriously. Students are expected to make good grades and sometimes will attend classes for almost 10 hours a day. This shows very clearly that education in China is valued above all other things in a child’s life. In the photo to the left, Chinese students can be seen studying for their gao kao tests, essentially they are the equivalent of American SAT exams. What draws attention is the IV drips that are seen above the students. These IVs show just how seriously the Chinese take their education. The students are studying so hard that they require an IV in order to fight their exhaustion and continue to study. Though this is extreme to us, it perfectly demonstrates how education is valued to the highest degree in some countries. Because of the importance put on education, these students will be able to get a good job and will be able to contribute to their country’s economy. China is an extremely wealthy country, and this is due to the fact that they are a highly educated country. By continuing to stress the importance of education, China will continue to thrive and enjoy a high quality of life.

In contrast to China’s extreme pressure they put on students, America’s education system is a lot more relaxed. The advertisement to the left portrays a typical American classroom. In the foreground, you can see a teacher who is casually reading a book, not entirely paying attention to her class. In the background, a student can be seen with his arms up, relaxing, as well as a couple students who look bored and are staring out the window. This is much more relaxed than the education system that was seen in China. Although this is more relaxed, there is still an emphasis on education and the importance in being educated. Most evidently, many of the children in the classroom are still studying and learning, showing that the majority of the students are getting the education that they should be.This demonstrates how most American students will get an education and will later be able to get a good job and contribute to the American economy. The students that are distracted represent the students that will drop out and not be as educated as their peers. This is due to the way the American education system is developed, where education is valued but not to such a high degree where everyone is expected to excel in school. As well, the teacher looks pleased and is content with her students, even the ones that are not entirely paying attention. This represents how America as a country is pleased with educating the majority of students and will not go to the extremes in order to educate everyone. This in turn will develop a fairly highly educated society which will allow Americans to have a good quality of life.

On the other hand, we have countries that do not have a high value on education. The image to the left shows Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl who stood up for the right that girls have to education. In Pakistan, girls education is not valued and it can even be dangerous for a girl to try to go to school. In Malala’s case, she was shot at by Pakistani men that oppose the idea of educating young girls. Now, Malala is seen as an image of empowerment to girls. In the image, Malala is portrayed in the image of Rosie the riveter, an American icon used to represent women who helped in the second world war. By relating Malala to Rosie, the artist is showing how Malala has become an icon of empowerment for women and for education in Pakistan. The fact that Malala had to endure violence in order to stand up for education shows how little her country values the education of women. By not educating women, Pakistan is restricting half their population, drastically impacting their economy and quality of life. As well it shows that if this violence occurs in Pakistan then it is a fairly unsafe country and therefore would not have a high quality of life. Therefore the lack of education, and ultimately the lack of value on education, lead to the attacks on Malala and has prevented Pakistan from achieving a safe, wealthy country.

Similarly, the recent tragedy of the Boko Haram abductions has brought education to attention on the world stage. Boko Haram, meaning Western education is forbidden, is an Islamic terrorist group in Nigeria. Recently, they have abducted hundreds of girls who were attending school and proceeded to burn down the schools. In the political cartoon shown to the left, a Boko Haram militant is aiming his gun at a young girl holding a book that reads ‘Western Education’. The image is almost comical  because the girl is clearly not a threat, yet the soldier is telling her to “Drop her weapon” as though she were carrying a gun, yet it is the soldier who is holding a weapon. The reaction of the soldier to the book shows he is against education, especially the education of young women. Not only does he not value it, but he completely despises the idea of educating girls. Although this is not the general view of the country, this demonstrates that a large group of people in Nigeria think this way, enough to form a terrorist group. As well, the girl is shown as being small with her eyes downward, symbolizing that she does not pose a threat, instead it is the book in her hands that is the threat to the soldier. The book is a threat because to Boko Haram, educating girls gives them freedom and allows them a better life, something that Boko Haram does not want. These terrorists destroy important school buildings, abduct and kill innocent young girls, overall creating upheaval and disruption in the country. Because of the complete lack of value this group has for education, they have disrupted the education of hundreds of Nigerian girls, preventing them from living in peace and obtaining the education they deserve. By doing so, Boko Haram has caused Nigeria to issue a state of emergency, causing it to have a very low standard of living. This shows how removing value in education can disrupt a country and ultimately completely destroy the country leaving it in disarray, which will take years to rebuild.

“All I want is education and I am afraid of no one.” This quote by Malala Yousafzai shows how important education is to her, that she is willing to put herself at risk just so she can have an education. Overall, education is valued by most people throughout the world, however it is not always a high value to every country. By making education more available in the world, and removing the risks some people face when trying to obtain an education, we can greatly improve the standard of living worldwide. As Canadian citizens we take education for granted, and don’t realize how vital it is to our society. By simply making use of the resources we are given in school, we can become highly educated and can contribute to the economy in a big way. Using these skills we have obtained, it is possible for us to help other countries realize the importance of education and ensure that all children, just like Malala, should never have to put their lives at risk simply to learn.

Works Cited

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Plante, Bruce. “Boko Haram.” The Cagle Post. Cagle Cartoons, 13 May 2014. Web. 8 June 2015. <http://www.cagle.com/2014/05/boko-haram-5/>.

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Ronen, Anat. “Yes She Can!” Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 July 2014. Web. 8 June 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/17/malala-rosie-riveter-mural_n_5596654.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063#>.