A common saying goes that the roots of education are bitter but its fruits are very sweet. Since time immemorial man has been making every effort to enlighten himself with any knowledge at his disposal. In trying to understand the world man has discovered many wonderful things. The industrial revolutions in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries were viewed to be the turning point in the history of the world. The early civilizations were overshadowed by great inventions. Industries grew tenfold and there was mass production of goods.
Universal primary education is the second millennium development goal to be achieved by 2015. This may not be realized. Many countries especially in the third world are ragging behind due to extreme poverty and disease. Most parents in the sub-Saharan Africa live on less than a dolar per day. Each day millions of children die from Malaria. Malnutrition is quite common in developing countries. The Aids pandemic has left many of these children orphaned and homeless. Many children have been forced to fend for themselves and take care of their siblings at very young and tender ages. Child labor is still widely practiced in many third world countries. For instance young children have been forced to work in coffee and tea plantations to earn a living. This has forced primary going children out of schools.
Wars in many parts of Africa have displaced many school going children. As a result many children have been forced to drop out of school to work as child soldiers. For instance in many parts of Africa many children have been fighting in civil wars as soldiers. In democratic republic of Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and Angola, just to mention a few, there is wide spread abuse of children to work as child soldiers.
Moreover, child prostitution is wide spread in many parts of Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Children are forced into prostitution in order to earn a living. Others are forcefully recruited to work in brothels as prostitutes.
In the third world child trafficking is a common phenomenon. Just like drugs many children are smuggled annually from Africa to European countries. This has reduced children into lifeless and futureless figures. Until the above issues are addressed by relevant authorities the Universal Millennium Development Goal will just be a dream to many children. Furthermore, most governments are corrupt and making radical changes geared to benefit the poor school going children is almost impossible. Those in authority must be therefore at the forefront in coming up with policies that will cater for the needs of the children. The third world countries lack the necessary resources, facilities and infrastructure for the 2015 millennium goal to be realized. This has contributed these countries ragging behind. Education standards in these countries have either stagnated or deteriorated.
The United Nations together with its umbrella bodies and affiliates such as the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme and World Health Organization must come up with serious and radical measures to curb this menace. They need to protect the children whose lives are in danger from civil wars, malnutrition (starvation) and disease. They must be at the forefront in campaigning against child labor, child trafficking and child prostitution. They need to educate societies on the importance of educating their children. Lastly remember it begins with you, do something philanthropic to lend a hand to the disadvantaged in the society and contribute towards the success of the millennium goal.
References
- Raymond J. Apthorpe, University of Sussex Institute of development Studies, 1970, People Planning and Development Studies
- Ola Uduku, Alfred Zack-Williams, 2004, Africa Beyond the Post-colonial: Political and Socio-cultural Identities
- Frans J. Schuurman, 2001, Globalization and Development Studies: Challenges for the 21st Century