Why Jamaica Needs To Invest In Education To Eradicate Poverty

Is being poor a crime? Irrespective of what you think, those who are actually suffering from poverty think that it is no less than a form of punishment which suffocates their potential for development. I know this for a fact that poverty can feel like a crippling and chronic state which not only affects your mind, but also your health and spirit.

A Disease Named Poverty

Let’s face it; poverty is a global condition that affects numerous people across different countries worldwide. In 2011, around 17 per cent of individuals residing in developing countries survived on or even below US$1.25 per day, according to data from the World Bank. This goes to show that 21 per cent of the global population, which is around 1.4 billion people, survive in excessive poverty. Shockingly, children and women comprise majority of the numbers who live daily in poverty. Is this acceptable?

Like most other developing nations, Jamaica is still struggling with issues related to drafting measures and removing poverty. As per the 2012 Survey of LivingConditions by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, over 500,000 Jamaicans (i.e. 1 out of every 5) are surviving below the poverty line. These figures are seriously striking and it is time for the government to take the necessary steps in order to continue sustainable development.

Is Education The Cure?

I believe, the primary solution to eradicate poverty is sufficient investment in education as it will liberate innumerable Jamaican families and allow them to break away from this cycle. It has already been observed that several children, who are brought up in poverty, start their schooling somewhat behind their wealthy classmates. Moreover, the 2014 National Education Inspectorate (NEI) report revealed that over 60 per cent of primary and secondary schools in Jamaica are unable to properly deliver quality education to the students. I agree that poverty should not be an excuse for failure, but the fact remains that it affects the mind and spirit of an individual which hampers his abilities to achieve success. Hence, it is important that we find a solution that will deliver world-class education at highly affordable rates from reputed institutions.

I think currently there is a strong need to provide excellent higher education and vocational training opportunities to the youth. An accredited degree will enable them to look for job opportunities in majors companies not only in Africa, but on a global level. If you ask me, the most feasible solution for aspiring learners and young professionals in different parts of Africa is to pursue affordable and quality postgraduate business education as it will give them the push they need to build a lucrative career.

An Affordable Way To Learn

But when I am talking about how poverty is affecting education, how can I even think about expensive business degrees? I am sure you are probably asking the same question; but the fact is I am not talking about pursuing business degrees from expensive B-schools. I am merely pointing out to the fact that now you can earn accredited and affordable business degrees from reputed global universities by studying online.

Yes...online business education is one of the most feasible solutions that will empower you to fight poverty, whether you are in Jamaica, Nigeria or anywhere in Africa. By studying a postgraduate business management diploma course online you will acquire necessary business skills and knowledge and drastically improve your employability. However, the best thing about online degrees is that they only cost a fraction of traditional full time business degrees offered by the leading B-schools. However with online learning, you can study the same high quality programmes provided by major universities at a more affordable manner.

Moreover, as many employers around the globe are now accepting online business degrees, you will be able to land your dream job by earning your degree, boosting your skills and improving your employability. This will help you take the first major step in the fight against poverty.

Nigerian Universities have progressed Commendably in Last Three Years

Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria has almost doubled the population of Egypt and Ethiopia. Nigeria has 63 percent of young population below the age of 24 and the relative annual growth rate of the country is 3.24 percent.

Source: bit.ly/1fsQKOT

The incredibly high young population means that government is at present hard pressed to meet. The number of students has increased from below 15, 000 in 1970 to about 1.2 million in 2013, at the tertiary level alone. It is because of this huge growth in demand, a large number of tertiary students annually misses out because there are not enough seats in the educational institutions to meet the demands. (Source:bit.ly/1cU9unJ )

The delivery of quality education in Nigeria is sole responsibility of federal government. Earlier, the state of education sector in Nigeria was very poor, mainly due to the lack of funds. Undoubtedly, federal government is accountable to provide quality education, curriculum design, recommend national education philosophy and direction to the education policy of the country.

Source: bit.ly/1eyUqZd

However, the time has changed and Nigerian universities have started getting local and international accolades for the transformation under the recent administration. Slowly and gradually, Nigerian universities have started to compete with the best on the continent as well as global platform.

The improvement marked by Nigerian universities is barely brought to the notice because most NGOs and media organisations are not keen on assessing and inspecting the academic and infrastructural plans being implemented by the current Jonathan government. On the other hand, the World Bank thinks otherwise, as it has selected 10 public and private universities from Nigeria as Centres of Excellence for the exceptional research programmes in societal development.

The World Bank would grant each of these selected African Centres of Excellence, ACE, a sum of $8million USD, N12.8 billion to work on approved research projects. The funds given to the selected ACE is for the duration between 2014 and 2017. Most importantly, out of 18 African Centres of Excellence chosen by World Bank, 10 are from Nigeria.

There are seven federal, one state-owned and two private universities in the list of universities to benefit from World Bank policy. The massive investments from the Jonathan administration made the African Centres of Excellence possible. It will strengthen the ability of the National Universities Commission to observe the activities of universities in Nigeria.

The wise investment by the federal government of Nigeria and efficient observation by the NUC are the real factors behind the accomplishment by Nigerian universities. Since Jonathan got elected to lead the federal government in country, the face of university education has changed for good. Such is the progress made by education sector in Nigeria that the team leader at World Bank, Mr. Andres Bloom, expressed keen interest to partner with the Nigerian government. The level of commitment shown by the project officials was also satisfactory in his eye.

Nigeria will continue to receive the gratitude for expansion of university education. Apart from World Bank, there are plenty of other international agencies keen to collaborate with federal government of Nigeria to further intensify the benefits attained in previous three years.

The Nigerian universities have come a long way and started to taste the fruit of success after the initial days of hard work. Let’s hope that higher education sector in country will continue to rise and yield positive results.

Article Source: bit.ly/1fsQ2ks