Lack of access to basic education is perhaps one of the distressing issues the world's education sector is currently facing. In fact, a 2015 data collected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics showed that there are 757 million people, including 115 million youths, who still do not have access to basic education.
Even though access to basic education or the opportunity to acquire basic reading and writing skills has been regarded as a fundamental human right, the UNESCO-acquired data simply reveal the sad truth that there are still children all over the world who lack access to education. It has also been confirmed that 70 percent of the figures are composed of females.
TechCrunch also echoes the statement above, revealing that there are 62 million girls who do not have access to traditional education. The reason cited include insufficient resources, safety and the society's general stereotype about girls and women.
Fortunately, U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama is determined to address this issue on education by collaborating with TechCrunch's owner AOL to launch a campaign called "Let Girls Build." The drive is reportedly a part of the "Built By Girls" challenge.
In an email, the U.S. first lady acknowledged the fact that many girls faced education barriers such as lack of financial resources to pay for tuition fees, not to mention the absence of safe transportation to get to the nearest school and even inadequate bathrooms for girls. That's why, Obama wanted to encourage entrepreneurial-spirited girls aged 15 to 17 to work on tech projects to help increase and improve girls' access to education.
One tech project, the do-it-yourself bracelet kit called TARA, aims to ensure a safe way to go to school for in-migrant girls in Cambodia. Meanwhile, U.S. Senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee wrote in an article published on Time that everyone deserves to have access to affordable higher education.
Kaine also added that he, along with presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, know and understand what every college student is going through. That's why, they're both lifelong supporters of educational opportunity for all and are committed to helping kids have a better access to high-quality and affordable college education in the United States.
Despite the fact that quality and affordable education has long been advocated by political leaders, the reality remains that the cost of education in the U.S. are still on the rise. Even though dropout rates have declined, America's education progress is still not almost on pace with other nations, Parent Herald previously reported.
What do you think is the best solution to address the world's education issues? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
