All communities face barriers to equal access to a quality education
By Chris Megaffin
I work at the American International School of Johannesburg as an international teacher and every year during the week of Classroom Without Walls we take the 8th grade students to visit Bongimfundo primary school, a farm school in rural South Africa, to promote cultural exchanges. On my first visit to the school, I could not help but notice the vast difference in resources between the school that I worked at and the primary school that I visited. Unlike my school where there is state of the art facilities (two fully resourced libraries, several basketball courts, tennis courts, a theater, two gyms, fully equipped classrooms with smart boards, flat screen televisions, campus-wide wireless internet and a one-to-one laptop program), Bongimfundo primary school has deteriorating infrastructure and the resources are limited. It also lacks proper toilet facilities.
However, the memory of my visit that remains with me the most is the children having lunch. I saw the vibrancy of a community that was alive and in motion with children eating, sharing food, dancing and playing games. What I experienced through the cultural interactions was a community that had vast cultural wealth – members of a school community with talents, strengths, and valuable life experiences.
I witnessed a school community that thrived because they were empowered to believe that their talents, strengths, and experiences would lead them to realize that their hopes and dreams could become a reality despite the barriers they may experience.
In my home country, I have been following the news of the teacher strikes. Teachers in Oklahoma, Kentucky and West Virginia were striking because they are frustrated by deep spending cuts to education which have led to deteriorating classrooms that have leaky roofs, drafty windows and poor heating. In many cases, there is a short supply of textbooks, curriculum materials and classroom resources. In some communities, schools were open for four-day weeks rather than five due to a lack of money to pay for the electricity to keep the lights on. Teachers are walking out in Arizona and Colorado in part because school budget cuts have reduced funding to classrooms.
In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights listed free quality primary education as a right. The 1960 UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education reinforced the right to a quality primary education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that all children should have equal access to a quality education. The Convention stipulates that children should receive an education that allows them to be the best they can be so they can reach their full potential. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals reinforces free universal primary education as a right.
And yet, despite these watershed moments in the history of education, there are still children around the world who do not receive a free primary education. Yes, there are still schools that are not adequately resourced. Yes, there are still schools where children are learning in makeshift structures or buildings that are deteriorating. Yes, there are still children with disabilities or of the “wrong” gender that are being excluded from school. Yes, there are still classrooms that don’t have a teacher or even an untrained teacher. Yes, some refugee children do not have access to an education and yes there are still children not able to go to school because of geographical barriers.
This article was originally published on NBPTS.org
Author
Christopher Megaffin’s home base is Santa Monica, CA., though he has worked internationally for more than 10 years – first in Asia and currently in Africa, where he teaches 8th grade Social Studies at the American International School in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is also the 8th Grade Team and the Middle School Social Studies Subject Leader. He is passionate about empowering students to be global citizens who make a difference in the world.
Chris is also the founder of the Bow Tie Challenge, which seeks to raise awareness about the importance of education and to raise funds for Afrika Tikkun.
Follow Chris on Instagram at the_traveling_educator and on Twitter at Traveling Educator @TeacherChris1
Further Reading
- The Conversation – How American schools are making inequality worse
- Huffington Post – The Global Search for Education: The Rich, the Poor and What Millennials Think
- NY Times – Education by the Numbers