No Entry to Education - A Teaching Activity by laurie delgatto

No Entry

Entry to Education In t his a c t iv it y, the participants explore the key role of education as a route out of poverty and its benefits for the wider community. t i m e r e q u i r e d 5 0 to 6 0 m i n u t e s i n t e n d e d fo r g r a d e s 9 - 1 2

Mat er ial s N eed ed

» copies of the handout “My Educational Experiences,” found on page 5, one for each participant » pens or pencils, one for each participant » two copies of the resource “No Entry Stories,” found on page 6 » a sheet of newsprint » a marker » a roll of masking tape

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Activity Steps Inv i t e t h e pa rt ic ipa nt s to think back over their own educational experiences, from

preschool through elementary and junior-high school to their current situation. Ask for a few volunteers to share what stands out in their minds. Point out that they also learned a lot before they even went to school, such as how to communicate with others. P r o v i de e a c h participant with a copy of handout x and a pen or pencil. Ask the participants to take some time to complete the handout. Explain that in the “Highlights” column, they are to record two or three key things they learned—facts or skills. In the “Disappointments” column, they are to record anything that didn’t go so well with their education, such as a teacher’s leaving or a regret that they didn’t concentrate on lessons. In the next column, they can remember key teachers and others who helped them, and the final column gives them an opportunity to record things they learned outside of school, such as swimming or riding a bike without training wheels. Allow a few minutes for the participants to complete the handout.

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W h e n a l l t h e part ic ipa nt s are done, invite a few volunteers to share their highlights

and the key people who have played a part in their education. Then invite the volunteers to reflect on what they would have missed out on if they hadn’t had the opportunity to be educated. Ask: » How would your life now be different? » How would your expectation of the future change? » What would you have missed out on if your parents had not had an education either?

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You may want to note that some of the things the participants listed in the “Learned Outside of School” column might disappear if their parents had not received an education as well. N o t e t hat m i l l io ns of children across the world are not able to go to school, and more of

these children are girls than boys. Education plays a key role in helping people make constructive contributions to community life, and in getting people out of poverty. A s k f o r t w o v o lunt eer s to come forward. Provide each with a copy of the resource

on page 5 and ask that each read aloud one of the stories on the resource. Then invite the rest of the participants to consider the factors in the stories that can stop children from going to school or disrupt their education. List these factors on a sheet of newsprint and post it where all can see. Some possible factors that may be named include the following: » no local school (nearest school too far away or too difficult to get to) » ideological reasons (a belief that girls should not be educated) » conflict and war » lack of teachers and teacher training » lack of money for school fees or materials » HIV and AIDS, which leaves children as orphans and having to fend for themselves » lack of sponsorship or aid from overseas

Note that providing education for everyone is multifaceted. Lots of people and agencies need to play a part. W r i t e t he s e t e r ms on a sheet of newsprint and post it where all can see:

» international initiatives » national initiatives » local community initiatives » family initiatives » individual initiatives

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Invite the participants to discuss what each term means. Below is an overview of international and national initiatives: » International initiatives are countries working together or organizations working together on a global scale.

» National initiatives affect individual countries and can be government decisions or organizations working in just one country. Inv i t e t h e pa rt ic ipa nt s to form small groups of three or four to discuss these different

categories. Ask them to discuss the following questions: » What can be done at each level to work toward education for all? » What are the responsibilities and opportunities of each group?

Encourage the participants to think about the roles of each of these groups in poor countries and in rich countries. If you have already studied the Millennium Development Goals and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, you might remind the participants of these. Allow ample time for the groups to discuss. Inv i t e t h e s m a ll gr o ups to share their thoughts with the large groups. Be sure to

comment on the following points if the small groups do not raise them: » The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child says that children have a right to a free primary education and that education should develop their talents and personality to the full. » Two of the eight Millennium Development Goals refer to education: to achieve universal primary education and to achieve gender parity in education (as many girls as boys going to school). » The Education for All movement, led by the United Nations, is a global commitment to provide quality basic education for all children, youth, and adults. » World Vision is an international organization that works with people in poor communities, helping them to overcome their challenges. The community will decide what its priorities are and what help it needs, and education is usually high on the list. » Governments of poor countries can set policies to provide free primary education, but they may struggle to afford it. They will need to provide buildings, materials, teacher training, and so on.

» Governments of rich countries can agree to give aid to poor countries or to make decisions on debt and trade that will provide poor countries with more money to spend on education. S um m a r i z e t h e c o nt ent of the lesson, the importance of education in lifting people out

of poverty and the role of different groups in making this happen. It may be that the participants don’t see much of a role for individuals. Talk about the difference between power and influence. Share the following points: » Governments have power to make decisions and act on them. But individuals can influence what governments do. PA G E 3 O F 7

» In terms of our involvement, we can campaign for education for all, we can lobby our representatives to take action, and we can support agencies like World Vision, who are working on the ground to address the problem.

» As individuals, we can also make sure we have a positive attitude toward education, making the most of the opportunities in front of us. C o n c l ude b y talking through the different options for involvement and deciding what the

participants can do as a group or as individuals.

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Handout | My Educational Experiences

At Home

Highlights

Disappointment

Key People

Learned Outside of School

Preschool, Playgroup, or Nursery

Elementary School

Junior High School

High School

Handout: Permission to reproduce is granted. ÂŠ 2008 by World Vision Resources.

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Resource | No Entry Stories Nadir’s Story Nadir is 9 years old and lives in the village of Tagobist in Afghanistan. Tagobist is at the bottom of a mountain gorge, squeezed into a ravine, and it is impossible to drive a vehicle to the village. The only way to bring in supplies is on the backs of donkeys, along a five-mile winding path. Nadir is excited because a school has just been built in his village. For years Afghanistan has been at war. The Taliban regime grew in power in the early 1990s until they controlled about 90 percent of the country. Under the Taliban rule, only boys received religious training in the mosques, and the education of girls was completely forbidden. Mahborah is the headmaster of the new school. He has dreamed of being a teacher for years and somehow managed to attend teacher’s training college under the Taliban regime. Many teachers in Afghanistan are not so fortunate and have been only to primary school or have been trained in a “madrassa,” which is a religious school. The new school will eventually serve 400 students from three villages, but at the moment, there are only two teachers. Nadir has high hopes for the future. “I want to be a student,” he says. “Not just now but in the future. I enjoy studying my language, Pashtu, and I want to continue to learn. Being a student is important, especially for our future.”

Juliet’s Story Juliet Nantume has spent all day with her cousin Peter Kabunga weeding their neighbor’s cassava patch instead of going to school. But they are not playing truant. The headmaster sent them home from school because they need to pay around $4 for the printing of end-of-term reports and test papers. They are working to earn the money for the reports, earning around 75 cents a day. Juliet is 12 years old and lives in Uganda, where primary school education is provided free of charge by the government. However, students must pay for educational materials such as books and pens, and they must buy uniforms. This can cost up to $200 a year. Juliet is an orphan. Her parents both died of AIDS, and now she lives with her older brother and sister. Peter joined their household when his parents died of AIDS. Juliet wants to become a nurse or a nun, but without support, it is likely she will drop out of school like her older brother and sister. For some children in Juliet’s village, World Vision sponsors pay their education and medical bills. But World Vision needs to find a sponsor for Juliet before it is too late.

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About World Vision W o rld Vis i o n i s a Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to helping children and their families break free from poverty. Our work is motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ. We see a world where each child experiences “fullness of life” as described in John 10:10. And we know this can be achieved only by addressing the problems of poverty and injustice in a holistic way. That’s how World Vision is unique: We bring nearly sixty years of experience in three key areas needed to help children and families thrive: emergency relief, long-term development, and advocacy. And we bring all of our skills across many areas of expertise to each community we work in, enabling us to care for children’s physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. W o rld Vis i o n R es o u r c e s educates Christians about global poverty, inspires them to social justice, and equips them with innovative resources to make a difference in the world. By developing biblically-based materials for educators and ministry leaders on the causes and consequences of global poverty, World Vision Resources supports the organizational mandate to move the church in the United States to more fully embrace its biblical responsibility to serve the poor.

For more information about our resources, contact: World Vision Resources www.worldvision.org wvresources@worldvision.org

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