LOCKED IN ABJECT POVERTY

Madam,

Illiteracy has been pervading the nation, particularly among young children. The sector of education is in dire distress, and this matter cannot be downplayed anymore. In the past decade, the improvement of literacy among children has been stagnant and likely amplified by our multitudinous societal challenges. From infrastructural challenges to job insecurity, the standard of living has truly gotten critical. Inequities are deep and quality education is largely inaccessible. The disparities in our educational system directly correlate to the disparities in poverty. The cost of living has stratified, and the national climate is deeply pessimistic, with citizens increasingly vulnerable to economic hardships. Considering the myriad of socio-economic challenges in our society, it is no wonder that education has been pushed to the sidelines.

It is pertinent that the nation itself does not undermine the value of basic education. Educational opportunities are the actualisation of a better future. This is the pillar on which a society is built. Without education, the challenges that we face as a nation are much more likely to skyrocket. There are plenty of barriers to gainful employment, and lacking basic education will only result in disempowerment amid our increasingly global-technological national order. It is, therefore, heart-wrenching to see our society sinking, to see children of all ages contend with institutional and economic challenges so insufferably, and to see the citizens who want a fair and equitable society, painstakingly fight for their survivability.

challenges

Considering the myriad of challenges and circumstances that are grappled with within the national educational system, societal challenges that affect the working class and the parents of young children directly impact their basic education trajectory. Children from impoverished communities are disproportionately affected by societal challenges, particularly those pertaining to healthcare. Lack of food, overcrowding, a lack of access to sanitary pads and the lack of access to educational resources such as books and pens all affect young pupils learning and retaining knowledge. These challenges not only deter young people from school but, often times, affect their households intricately and especially, affect the guardians who act as the support structure for young schoolchildren. Children of all ages go to school to gain knowledge. However, their homes are where this knowledge is practiced and enhanced.
Societal challenges often times permeate the home first. Rates of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, debilitating mental health, basic healthcare and chronic diseases are among many challenges that are faced within the context of households. Young school-going children are more vulnerable to crime, sexual assault, and human trafficking, most especially when they undergo long walks to school daily.

fulfillment

What is clear is that our multitudinous societal challenges are strongly impacting the fulfillment and realisation of children's constitutional rights. The right to a just and fair society, an equitable society that protects the human dignity and freedoms of its citizens, is in fact, not yet actualised. It is almost 37 years after independence, but democratic freedoms of the nation continue to be stifled. This is largely attested to a lack of political engagement, ineffectiveness and institutional corruption, among others. Scores of citizens continue to live in impoverishment, with very few educational and economic opportunities accessible to them. The rate of unemployment is among the highest in the world.  The cost of living is soaring, and the conditions of liveability are increasingly burdensome.

In my view, government and the national leadership have not been rigorous enough in their commitment to overcoming the socio-economic challenges that are disintegrating our society. Citizens should also not underestimate their power to enact meaningful change in society. Our people should actively drive the vision of a society that is outlined in our Constitution. They must actively and collaboratively participate in the actualisation of the society they want to see. It is our autonomous responsibility to ensure the progression of our own society, to safeguard the institutions that are key to our knowledge-building, and to interrogate the institutionally repressive structures that continue to ostracise citizens on the basis of their economic power.

T Makoe

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