We're Taught Education Can End Poverty. Here's the Truth. | NYT Opinion
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- čas přidán 21. 06. 2023
- Text by Nicholas Kristof
Around the world we talk a good game about the importance of education, but we rarely act as if we mean it.
Here’s an unlikely exception: Sierra Leone, one of the world’s most impoverished countries. In the video above, I travel to Sierra Leone to chronicle that country’s campaign to get all children in school - and then to get them to actually learn to read, even in ramshackle schools with no electricity or plumbing.
The children broke my heart and also inspired me. If Sierra Leone can do this, other countries can - and surely the United States can emulate that same determination to help every child learn.
This education revolution in Sierra Leone is the brainchild of President Julius Maada Bio and his youthful minister of education, David Sengeh. A Harvard graduate, Sengeh was working for IBM when President Bio asked him to come home and help his country - but now they face a test. Nationwide elections will be held late this month, with Bio campaigning for another term.
I wrote a column (www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/op...) about what we can learn from Sierra Leone - and about the ways the revolution still falls short: Children are sometime beaten for failing to pay school fees that are in fact illegal. Despite these failings, what I take away most is the hope reverberating through the nation. The world, in short, has much to learn from this nation’s determination to give every child an education. See it for yourself in this short film.
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Poverty exists because we have convinced the world that important labor such as sanitation, food prep, construction and caring for others are jobs that do not deserve a living wage. Poverty is a tool used to control, it is not a byproduct of a lack of education.
Truth!
The Federal Reserve is doing its best to keep us poor.
Poverty is relative. Minimum wage today can afford much more than a worker would've dreamed of 100 years ago, and a poor person in Europe or the US would be high middle class in some other countries. Yet because there are guys who can buy private jets, we still feel poverty. Poverty is the feeling of inequalities, the impossibility of afforidng what's considered "the average lifestyle".
That's why "ending poverty" is pretty much impossible. You can end poverty as UN defined (less than a dollar per day), but there will still be poor people.
@@alioshax7797 Wrong. You should look at what has happened since the 80s. Before that, the working class in USA was quite ok. It has changed since then. Why ? NeoLiberalism. So, you sre wrong about that.
@@DipayanPyne-wo8cx Are you actually telling me that the US working class lived better in 1920 than today ?
Cuz if you do, I'm affraid that like all historians I've ever read, I'll have to strongly disagree. A hundred years ago, there was no minimum wage, no vaccations, no limit on hours worked, working conditions were terrible (definitely worse than today, at least from a physical point of view), child labour was legal and still very much around, and unions were literally crushed in the street by thugs.
I'm no fan of neoliberalism. But that's not the point here. Liberalism, socialism, communism, corporatism, all modern relevant ideologies are materialist and focus on the improvement of material living conditions. And they kinda worked. On average, people today, in almost every country in the world (let alone some specific cases like Venezuela or Sri Lanka) are richer today than anytime in history.
Not to say there isn't a price to pay. We're destroying nature, have lost any spiritual life and made society so complex that understanding it fully is impossible. But we're richer for sure. No imaginary Golden Age will change statistics.
Although education isn’t the SOLE answer to solving poverty, education must NOT be overlooked. By having an educated population that knows how to adapt to technological changes, a whole nation is able to quickly adjust to new emerging markets and global changes-allowing the nation to stay competitive.
Read and Internet online college new world and books and mentorship and on job training
CEO drop out of school
You need education but not necessary the old way
@@keithwisdom1663 " Read and Internet online college new world and books and mentorship and on job training CEO drop out of school" When you forget punctuation exists???
That, and also if more truly educated people were to gain a position in the higher place… We already have “educated” people, but even if they have got whatever degrees that other people might praise, if it is not truly practiced and applied, then the future results will not be so different from what we have now. #Corruption #BiggerPicture #Planning
@@LaLiTi 😎...... That's why the CEOs hires a secretary to review and correct documents before it is sent out. Thanks 🙏
Growing markets and competition shouldn’t be our goal. Our goal should be to live in a society where competition is not necessary.
To trust in education as the primary factor for the eradication of poverty;indicates that the issue of poverty,is not solely an issue of lack of education.The issue of poverty is a multi-factored/intersectional issue.
It's a statement that ignores the reality of poverty being baked into the system. A more accurate statement would be that education is the path out of poverty for a select few. Society still needs people to clean the toilets, pick up trash, harvest crops, etc., so there will never be enough educated job positions for everyone. Instead, those essential jobs, low-skill jobs need living wages. People harvesting crops in a field shouldn't have to choose between living in poverty and leaving their family and country to become lawyers. If everyone were fairly paid for the amount they produced, poverty would be rare.
@@hueypautonoman: To Huey: Good effort with your paragraph. You wrote: _"They shouldn't have to choose between living in poverty and leaving their family"_
Why are the impoverished bringing many children into a difficult situation?
@@eddyvideostar So you're one of those people who believes poor people shouldn't procreate? That's one step away from eugenics.
@@hueypautonomanmy brother that is eugenics.
@@hueypautonoman: To Huey and Mishap 19: This is banter you're doing -- I hope? How would I buy a car if I couldn't afford the gas, or if my status is unstable to rear and breed by gambling, looking in the rearview mirror at my misery?
It wouldn't be eugenics -- it would be *euthenics.*
Create better circumstances: create life.
Education helps. I have a Masters Degree, but I still cannot find work that pays adequately. If the system is corrupt, it doesn’t matter how educated you are.
And that is the problem with many African countries. Public corruption is a problem there and thus many of their best and brightest go to North America or Europe to study.
System could be corrupt or the competitive nature of business and work necessitates only that the best be hired. Think about it as a basketball team. You can't just pick everyone. You have to be selective to win. Thus there will always be those that education doesn't do anything to help. Once everyone receives a basic education, more education for all won't help
@@broeisiyou don’t need to be educated to start a business. You need money. There are plenty of dumbasses who own businesses because their parents loaned them $300,000k for starts costs.
"I have a master degree"...you could have that in philosophy but looking to get paid in the business world. 🙄..people who have master degree in their chosen career path dont usually complain about these things. Me for example...Masters in Accounting and I'm an FC. I will get paid more as my career and skill advances
Or maybe you studied something that nobody / very few need. Companies that need people usually employ them.
"We don't think about this [free public education] as a public expense. We think about this as an investment. You have to invest in people, and investment takes time." I wish we had that attitude here, because it's so true.
We need to invest more money and hire more teachers bc I strongly beleive it is too hard for one teacher to educate 30 children at a time. At the very least we should hire helpers for the teachers.
What's making it actually even worse is the fact that you can see a sort of anti-intellectualism and anti-science movement growing, particularly in the US.
@@CrniWuk yes those people are called republicans and they seek to put their weird perverted bible thumping beliefs above all. Personally I find it to be anti-American to try and force others to live by these religious beliefs but I also think drag queens should stay out of the schools. There seem to be so many political issues preventing our young ones from receiving a good education but one thing I am certain of is political groups seek to brainwash our young ones.
why should i invest in other people's children?
@@zombieat Because someday they will be making policies that affect you, or they'll be your doctors, nurses, dentists, lawyers, pilots, mechanics, employees, co-workers, or caregivers in the retirement community, etc. Also, so society doesn't implode.
I'm glad this story is honest about how education doesn't fix a society that fails and exploits the poor. Education can't be talked about in a vacuum or treated as a magic potion.
What will actually eliminate poverty? No longer allowing just a few families in every country to hoard all the wealth, on the backs of the rest of the workers. Education eliminating poverty is perpetuating bootstrapping, which no one should be required to do. I am also in favor of education for all up to the college level, but only because a more educated populace tends to reduce issues like war, comes up with creative solutions, but the rich need to be capped, plain and simple
Actually, countries that have the best education systems (Norway, Sweden, Canada, etc.) all have an economy that's mostly composed of smaller businesses rather than giant corporations like the US.
That's because more people have the knowledge to know how things work and to find how thry can add something to society
In the end, some people become extremely rich only if enough people encourage their business. For example, over half the US population have an Amazon Prime membership... No wonder why Jeff Bezos became rich.
@@mdmiah4014 And we also have to understand that somebody has to build some kind of foundation on this as well.
-Housing, infrastructure, safe communities, business and tech, etc.
Otherwise, the educated people will just move to another country. That does have these things.
@@PG-3462point being that it's people centric, struggling people are given what they need to live, then can better contribute to the economy, in the countries you mentioned
The rich aren't going to stick around and be capped. They'll leave to a tax haven.
@@mdmiah4014you're not wrong but also the type of education matters too because with purposeful mis-education and propaganda it can get a little tricky
I am glad he talked about kids in school not learning anything. That's been a serious problem in America for over 40 years and it can't be fixed by money alone. We need to change our culture as well.
If the government wants to force children to attend school, the government has a responsibility to ensure children are safe in schools.
Well said! So sad to see their very own teachers taking out their need for pay on children
I applaud the journalist who takes the effort to expose what is actually happening in developing countries. At the end of the day, there will always be extortion
If only solving "poverty" was as easy as just being educated
I was hoping this vid would explore that question but it didn't really
Education without resources is like having a combustion engine ferrari without no access to gas.
Resources without education is like having all the gas in the world, but no cars.
You need both, but if pressed to choose one, choose resources.
Hi!
I am highly educated yet homeless. Jobs here in America are mostly exploitative, abusing the workers with minimal pay and excessive expectations, while providing little or no workers safeguards. Low wage jobs are modern day slavery and jobs that require higher education are no better. Capitalism and greed are the culprits behind poverty.
Gd points
It depends on the course you studied
@@tfkdandsvkcI studied chemistry, what should I have studied?
@@chasefasten4120anything but physics, chemistry, or math. If you have to, go double majoring if you can
if you are highly educated as you said, you can one day transform you life not in the case for uneducated person that is the point
I do think education truly makes an impact. It’s not the only thing that contributes to the end of poverty. However, it is one of the main factors that can help end poverty. My parents are originally from Central America. My father told me since I was 4 years old, “Sandra, you must be educated & you must go to college.” I thank God for the words my father fed into my mind nearly every single day. My father worked 3 jobs & my mother worked for a few years but was mostly a homemaker. We did not live in the best school district. Frankly, in some of my classes, teachers didn’t even think it was worth teaching us. I won’t ever forget when my geometry teacher said to the class, “I won’t bother teaching you guys because you will not learn.” I patiently waited for class to end & I literally begged her to teach us. I said, “maybe the majority of the students don’t want to learn but I do, so for the one or few who want to learn, please teach the class.” I even asked for private tutoring from her. 🙈 Hey! I knew I wanted to go to college because my father instilled in me that it would be my ticket to a better life. Although, life hasn’t been completely easy with God’s help, persistence, & hard work, I was the first to graduate from college in the US within my family and God has provided me with a wonderful life. I have encountered challenges because education can open the door but other things can automatically shut the door for you. Nonetheless, I am not a quitter, so I don’t let no’s or what others think stop me. Persistence is key!!! If you have persistence and tenacity with education then you will have a brighter future!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️
As a teacher, even if one student from a class of 50 learn, it is their job to teach. I was so upset when I read what that teacher did and said. So ridiculous. That’s not a true teacher.
@@rosedalinevaletine6931 Yes! It is sad. =( One of my teachers pulled me out of the regular classes and placed me in AP classes and a University program, so that I could have better classes. Initially, I was upset bc I thought he wanted to set me up for failure but I later realized he wanted to help me and challenge me, so I would be ready when I attended college.
Hear, here!
I do think education matters but how much depends on where and under which circumstances it happens. My family comes from a village in rural Turkey. I graduated a top 10 US university but still couldn't get a job until faking experience on my resume, unlike the people with connections to refer them to jobs/hire them on the spot.
Enhorabuena, Estados Unidos es el país de las oportunidades.
Well let's just be honest. There are plenty of educated people who are living in poverty some of this poverty can be directly connected to their obscenely high college education bills.
Well said!
@@LadieKatie Bro, these people are barely not kids when they go into college. A lot of them don't understand what they're getting into. The western childhood doesn't prepare them for it. Not having sympathy here is more of a YOU problem.
Yep, I am one of them!
Those people in poverty have it a million times better off than Sierra Leone standards of poverty. They're focusing on literacy and basic numeracy there, not majoring in literature.
Meh, US poverty is a field day compared to no toilets, electricity, and snakes!
We should stop thinking about education as a means to end poverty (that's very important, of course) we should see education as a end in itself.
Except that you learn nothing that is useful in the educational system besides basic reading and writing and math
it's not just about education. It's about SKILLS. If people can build their own houses, roads, bridges etc, mine their own minerals from the ground, grow their own food etc etc, then they can easily end poverty.
Yes, in regard to alleviating poverty, there is a difference between having practical knowledge and skills versus merely having credentials.
One word.....systemic corruption..
No matter how high your education....if those in charge dont even have a care about you no thing will ever change
It astonishes me how people consistently miss malgovernance as the cause of poverty. Especially in Africa.
I know, right? It's because people on the Left tend to think government spending on education is always good and always useful.
It astonishes me how many people on the right miss colonialism, neoliberal foreign policy, and basic economics like the resource curse as a cause of malgovernance. Almost like they don't want to talk about solutions to malgovernance, just use it to justify racist beliefs that Africans are inherently inferior and underserving of support to fix their situation. Or just refuse to admit that government policy (not necessarily spending it's not the same thing) can be a solution if crafted properly.
Governance doesn't have any effect at all anywhere in the world.
I agree, but everything is related, isn't it? It's easier to get away with malgovernance if your voters don't read the news, or if there's no good journalists, or no competition from efficient private services, or there's no competent civil servants available, etc.
The answer is genetics and IQ.
It feels disingenuous to talk about education in Sierra Leone without talking in any meaningful way about colonialism. Sierra Leone is spending a huge amount of its GDP on education (as the video points out but also brushes over). But a significant amount of not much is still not much. It seems unfair to say “oh this is about building a culture” when so much of it is clearly about poverty, built around the fact that Sierra Leone has consistently been denied access to the wealth and resources (often times their own resources) to develop. Is that the only problem? Of course not. But obviously poverty plays a huge role and Sierra Leone is not poor by accident. That context is being largely ignored here.
was looking for this comment!!!
Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong were colonised.
Many countries in Africa are doing much better than Séria Leone; Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana, and Rwanda. It’s 2023 while the impact of colonialism has a specific impact, the corruption and poor management of African countries is the biggest factor.
this definitely adds more nuance to the topic
Yes! How, in 2023, can someone speak about the topic and not mention colonialism? How they chose to present Bill Gates and David and the way he spoke about the country just looked like white savior complex propaganda. I was expecting more from someone with that level of 'experience'.
Education plays a crucial role in addressing and mitigating poverty, but it alone cannot completely eliminate poverty. However, education is a powerful tool that can contribute significantly to poverty reduction and empower individuals and communities in various ways. Here are some key points to consider:
1. Knowledge and Skills: Education equips individuals with knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities that are essential for personal development and economic opportunities. It provides the foundation for acquiring employment, improving livelihoods, and escaping the cycle of poverty.
2. Employment and Income: Education increases employability and income potential. Individuals with higher levels of education generally have better job prospects and earn higher wages. Access to quality education can equip individuals with the skills needed for higher-paying jobs and entrepreneurial endeavors, thereby reducing poverty rates.
3. Health and Well-being: Education contributes to better health outcomes and improved well-being. Educated individuals are more likely to make informed decisions about their health, access healthcare services, and adopt healthier lifestyles. Education also empowers individuals to understand sanitation practices, nutrition, and disease prevention, leading to improved overall well-being.
4. Empowerment and Social Mobility: Education can empower individuals by expanding their opportunities, promoting social mobility, and challenging societal inequalities. It enables people to have a voice, participate in decision-making processes, and advocate for their rights and the well-being of their communities.
5. Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: Education has the potential to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. When children receive quality education, they are more likely to escape poverty in adulthood, leading to improved opportunities for future generations. Education can uplift families and communities, creating a positive ripple effect.
6. Addressing Structural Issues: While education is crucial, poverty is a complex issue influenced by various factors such as social, economic, and political structures. It is essential to address broader systemic issues, including income inequality, social exclusion, lack of economic opportunities, and limited access to resources, alongside education initiatives.
To effectively combat poverty, a comprehensive approach is needed, combining education with policies and interventions that address income inequality, social safety nets, healthcare access, employment opportunities, and equitable distribution of resources. Education serves as a catalyst, enabling individuals to take advantage of these opportunities and make informed decisions that can positively impact their lives and help break the cycle of poverty.
I agree with all of this. Eliminating poverty is not a matter of changing one element of the system, but a huge number of them. General education will be a start, followed by changes to address issues that come to light through better education.
did a chatbot write this?
Chatgpt
The teachers beating children until the kids give them whatever little bit of money they may have is absolutely cruel and disgusting! I don’t care how little they get paid. The journalist asking the children for details on how they are beaten without any sign of sympathy is also disturbing.
I pray God fills our hearts with love and that people seek Him over money 🙏🏾
This is how we grow up here in Africa.
We are thoroughly beaten by teachers, by neighbors, and by parents. It is normal.
The kids who are not beaten are misbehaved, and find it hard to survive in this tough, tough world of Africa.
It is not cruel. It is good.
Thank you.
@@josephmungai1799you can grow up in a culture and not TRULY UNDERSTAND how bad it is for you. Especially when you have been indoctrinated that it is good for you
I don’t think he was being unsympathetic
@@josephmungai1799 Beating children doesn't teach them to be tough, it only teaches them that it's okay to physically hurt others.
@@ayoq9956exactly you can grow up in western culture with kids being disrespectful as the norm and not understand how bad that is.
My culture isn’t perfect I’ll give you that. We need to curb corporal punishment to a certain extent but not eliminate it all the way because children need discipline.
I'm the offspring of non college educated parents, I thank my parents for instilling in me the importance of education. Indeed, it should be a human right to have the tools to survive
Wait, but how did they put all that money towards primary and secondary education, but forgot to pay the educators?
That seems like a glaring gap in this analysis. And its the children who pay for this corruption - literally and physically. So heartbreaking that they are subjected to physical violence because of this. And what's worse is the likely trauma that they are left with. How are they expected to make sense of it?
@@drebugsita That's the thing: many of them probably don't. and then they become the hurt people that hurt people.
This isn't a grand experiment. How rich you are has nothing to do with how educated you are. It's how close you are to rich people. No amount of education will change the fact your boss will pay you as little as they can.
You might be right … I’d add in my personal experience (clearly somewhat bias by definition), when I have gotten amazing at any job & just been having fun/had healthcare/good food/& a small safe space to call my home, someone ALWAYS seems to notice & say something either to me or one of my managers (sometimes a customer, sometimes a rival/client)…
…and almost to a person they’ve given me a card or contact and said if you ever wanna come work for me just call/email. I’ve had a few complaints, but they’re almost always related to personal issues (like someone lost their favorite uncle and was upset in line bc of an honest mistake we usually are able to correct)
@@bobbydennis8333 The point is that, no matter how good you are at your job, you'll never make CEO money unless you start selling your soul to rich people. That's just how the world actually works. Some of the most well educated and intelligent people in the world barely make ends meet.
@@monsieurdorgat6864 I mean doh 😂😂 but most successful CEOs are smarter than the average human
Facts. As the old saying goes 'You are your environment'. If you surround yourself exclusively with rich mentors, even if it's just online at first, you will become like them.
If you're happy where you are, fine, keep doing that. But if you want a completely different life, then you must 'die' to your old world, completely cut all ties and start over in a new environment where everyone thinks like you want to think. It's no deeper than that.
@@BlackCoffeeee Indeed, but we must also understand that meritocracy is a lie. We live subservient to pseudo nobility, and the closer you are to them the more you are paid.
Sometimes education can help but can also hurt. I think of friends with crushing student loan debt, co-workers in the restaurant business with masters degrees....You still need social support and safety nets, good health and health care, personal networking opportunities and I'm sure there are other needs I cannot think of at the top of my head.
Factors like student loans actually hinders access to education...
This is how I see it. Education as you see it is people learning the western language, studying the western culture, learning to live like the western people, while living in a completely different world with different realities. These kids will end up aspiring leaving their places and going to live in these western countries which is a shame. What these people need is a restoration of their history, thriving speaking their own languages, learning about their countries resources and finding a way to succeed their own way using what they have. Education as you want it is a continuation of colonization that is hurting and keeping these people in poverty.
This is a beautiful way of viewing things.
They need their own economy
Unless if they want to be like India and the Philippines and export people
We live in a global world, so learning about the world is fine. I agree with @TheRJRabbit23 they need their own economy. A sufficient one, with jobs.
They need to learn English and Chinese. Every nurse or engineer that goes abroad sends $ back home. Isolation is a stupid idea for countries that are broke AF.
I live in Sierra Leone and it’s much more complicated than access to education. There’s simply not enough money staying in the local economy to create income-generating jobs for all of the people who are currently in school. Exploitation, corruption, and other problematic government and economic policies that keep resources from the greater population of Sierra Leone. There is so much economic potential here, especially from natural resources that are extracted by foreign actors while local laborers never seen dividends.
What do you think can improve the local economy?
Thank you for sharing. It sounds like corruption is a big problem. Videos like this one almost always gloss over that.
@@peni1641 Curbing diamond smugglers for once. Demanding fair wages for miners and forcing a way of certification, such that for every diamond from Sierra Leone sold by Tiffany's or at the Diamantkwartier, the country has to get a cut. Forcing private companies who have profited from the industry to pay reparations. I'm not hopeful that this will happen, but it could theoretically be done.
@@DizzyBusy If you don't mind me asking. What private companies were you referring to?
Although education is a key to end poverty, in Sierra Leone access to more jobs is another key. You could have multiple degrees in Salone and still be jobless.
I think a huge factor to any degree of success is not just education but love and nurturing. If kids don’t get those two things success if extremely hard.
Wait, why are they “expected” to speak english at school and home? I see, they have 23 languages and english as official language, kryo spoken by 31% of the population.
Because English is the business language of the world. Even their education Minister wouldn't have been able to go to the best schools in the US and return to help Sierra Leone if he didnt speak English. Most developed Asian countries also have robust english language programs. It's about keeping up with the times. If China takes over as the clear cut business capital of the world, Mandarin chinese will probably be adopted by many developing nations (this has already begun to some extent). Its about survival.
As an educator in NYC who grew up in a poor country, I find this video so powerful.
Do you work at a college
It’s not a one to one relationship but it is true that education coupled with other investments can lift large numbers of people out of poverty.
I am very thankful for the work the gentleman, as new Education Minister, is doing in Sierra Leone. My own country Jamaica had many changes over the past few decades geared towards better access to education and reducing or eliminating corporal punishment. I have seen the changes over the past 20 years. Unfortunately changing a culture can take years, decades, or even generations… but it is worth trying for the future of our children and generations to come.
How long did it take countries in South East Asia, or some Middle Eastern countries to transform; from poverty to prosperity?
The problem with this policy is not that education is a bad thing. It's that this phrase is a way for the wealthy to support the idea that wealth isn't about hoarding. The idea that Innovation brings wealth is inaccurate: most wealthy people come from people who are already wealthy.
Much of Africa is poor because it is exploited by wealthier places.
Does that mean we should stop supporting education? Not at all. But it's not going to end poverty until the wealthy take responsibility and learn to share.
And by wealthy, we need to remember that by World standards most people in the US are wealthy.
No sharing! That is SOCIALISM!
What about education with the intention of creating self-employment. If you only think, "I want to be the best employee," AKA paycheck-to-pacheck-mentality, that is SLAVERY! Education gives you OPTIONS to be FREE! Get educated, get skills, get experience, seek constant self-improvement, and you will find economic freedom! Create your own business!
I’m not sure if our education system in the US actually led to industrialization. It provided trained workers to work in the factories.
Well done peice showing the complicated issue of both poverty and education. While they intermingle and one can be the best "cure" to the other, they also both have their own barriers. What seems to be issue both there and in the US seems to be teacher pay and benefits. It's time for us to truly recognize the need we have for well educated and passionate educators.
Kristof is a good man. We are lucky to have journalists like him.
It's not just educating minors but keeping them in the country once they graduate. Higher education and jobs have to be available for these educated citizens. If not then they would emigrate to rich countries and stay. We call that brain drain.
Barbados instituted free education from primary to university level in the 1960's. GDP grew from $1268 per capita in 1974 to $17,225 per capita in 2023. Education works.
A community in Mexico found out that their one school teacher had not been paid by the school district, her job had been cut off from funding, but she still planned lessons, and tried to hold classes and still teach her students. When she was starving, she did not want to be a burden the student's families with requests for help (everyone in the community was impoverished😢) but when the parents and guardians of student's found out their teacher was eating out of the trash after mid-day school lunchtime, the community rallied together and organized a solution. Every night, the teacher was to be a dinner guest at different student's home. So 30 students in the classroom meant that every night for the month, the teacher would have dinner with 30 different families. That way, the community knew that she was being fed, because they weren't able to pay her. Each family was able to spare enough food for an extra person once a month. They knew that they were not able to actually pay her for her service of teaching their children to read and to write and compute maths, basic educational skills that are important in an adult person's life. But the recognized the value she was adding to their children's lives and the families rallied and collectively included to uphold the value the teacher held within a community. Of course, this was i. 1930's - so at a time when schoolmaster was a venerated position. People had more respect back then
I appreictate that you went into the nuance and genuine difficulties involved in projects like these, people often get too caught up in the present status quo and miss the improvement over time that has been and can be made
I have an associate from Sierra Leone. He had a sponsor pay his school fees but he lived at the school and had to leave his village. He was beaten frequently. He attended MIT and has a master's degree in engineering. He sends trailers full of rice and other staples to his village every year. These students that are being educated will need jobs, you cannot ask them to work in the fields. The jobs that attract them will be abroad unless industrial and economic expansion occurs .
“You cannot ask them to work in the fields” did you ask them if they want to or not?
@@givepeaceachance940same reason why white people in London aren't working on farms.
@@givepeaceachance940 The OG commenter has an accurate point. His point is that JOBS need to be made for the educated populace.
As to your point, unfortunately most labor jobs are not taken by choice and it is often the uneducated who are forced into them.
What will they do with their educations if there are no jobs? The problem of poverty goes beyond lack of education
"I feel hope"
Hope is the only thing we can rely on. Hope that those people who in charge of education delivers what they've promised. Hope that as the clock ticking, their future can be changed for the better. Hope that they will grow as a successful people and give back to their community so they can eradicate poverty.
I remain hopeful.
It’s true “free” education isn’t actually free. I visited Dominican Republic and it is “free”, but you have to wear the shirt( uniform). That was how school can afford to stay open. Even, in Korea that’s how school makes money… people still look for used school uniforms because they are expensive. School wasn’t free in Korea few of my aunts and uncles couldn’t afford to go to high school. My other aunt worked extra to go to school. I think it is still not completely free in Korea. Maybe just elementary schools.
nicholas kristof is the nyt opinion writer that has brought us many wonderful articles about the awesomeness of sweatshops for the people who work in them
Beautiful coverage, I was skeptical at first but I'm warmed by it 😊
Free education, free healthcare, free food, free water. These things will put a significant dent in poverty.
Wealth distribution is needed. Education makes people wiser not richer, richer in heart perhaps. Actually the smarter you are you become more unhappy because you feel like you can do more but reality you don't have that much impact.
Wrong. Absolutely wrong. Education is the way to enlightenment. Without it, we'd be left in darkness and chaos.
@@we8608 I agree education is key. Otherwise people would blame themselves and internalize their failure instead of understanding the outside forces outside of their control that put them there.
Education is not the same as schooling. Often schooling is much deteriorating and pulls people away from their roots. We definitely need education, but the kind that is found out of books.
Education is no longer the solution to poverty when everyone is educated. It is just the new baseline.
True for me. MEd set me free from poverty. Just retired in comfort with no debts.
Education is the base to make people learn, think, understand and solve social determinants to help countries thrive , grown and develop.
It needs be adapted to local reality as well .
However without financial and technology support how to make it happens?
Without desire to changes how to do it ?
If every child is educated up to High School level, then having a High School diploma is taken for granted as a prerequisite for a job, and only those with a college degree get a "good job. If every child is educated up to college level, then only those with a Master's degree get a "good job". Education is important, but the reason for poverty is greed, not lack of education.
What about education with the intention of creating self-employment. If you only think, "I want to be the best employee," AKA paycheck-to-pacheck-mentality, that is SLAVERY! Education gives you OPTIONS to be FREE! Get educated, get skills, get experience, seek constant self-improvement, and you will find economic freedom!
Well said. Change in policy doesn't change the culture
this is real jornualism! thank you nyt, thank you nicholas kristof.
What happens in Sierra Leone is sad, but what happens in Homestead, Florida, is unconscionable. Here a principal intent on his own glory forces teachers to follow a state-imposed curriculum in English. And you say, what's wrong with that? Well, most of the kids don't speak English, some barely speak Spanish, have rarely stepped into a school in their countries of origin and yet, they are judged by their performance on a standardized test in a computer! Then, when the data shows a disaster, they blame the teachers who were not allowed to teach them English so they could at least have a chance. This is happening here in the good old USA! 😮
Of course the curriculum should be in English! That’s the national language that we all speak. They should learn it as young as possible, sooner rather than later. I commend this principal for sticking to common sense!
@@alekxos1900 imbecile, the language must first be taught. He's throwing them to a classroom without a drop of English. I'd like to know if you could have done that.
@@alekxos1900ir there is no official national language for the usa please become more educated pass a civics test or grow some brain cells
You are insane. All USA curriculum should be taught in English.
Immersion teaches language. There's no way Florida can find teachers that can do all the subjects in Nahuatl or whatever for the kids that don't even speak Spanish. It'd be a good idea to get some bilingual aides in the classrooms to help explain things if there's room in the budget.
I feel it all comes down to, how education is being implemented in certain countries and certain regions. The attempt to introduce education to the rural areas and to poorer countries is a noble cause, however, the way of giving education to the masses is a greater challenge. The people that you put in charge of certain official branches of the education system may be corrupt in demanding higher fees to sustain themselves since their salary isn’t good enough, and the ways to go along with the local custom and culture is a challenge too like some locals wouldn’t allow the girl to have the same education like the boy.
But back to the question of “Can education end poverty?” In a way it would end poverty by introducing new ideas to the people, however, it all comes down to the system and the people themselves. If the system that carries out education works properly, with no corruption, no bribery, and everyone is able to have easy access to the required necessary school materials then it would end poverty. Also, the people themselves are important, like if the parents of the child in the poorer area are willing to allow all their children to go to school regardless of gender, and if the students of the poor region are willing to study hard to achieve higher academies on the subjects and stuff that they enjoyed after they graduated they will use their knowledge of what they learn to either work at a good pay job or starting a job that would benefit the community.
Yes, well said. Thank you for mentioning the corruption issue. It seems like idealistic people from rich countries forget about or minimize the corruption problem.
Education cannot succeed when other things have failed: like economics, accountability, transparency, healthcare, etc. Everything is interrelated.
All it takes to undermine these efforts is for another political class to assume office with their own egos. The length and breadth is that African political class are not matured enough to manage the realities of we the people. If Africa is lucky, a more competent elite class will emerge someday and organize the people better. Policies are not enough, we must TRANSFORM CONSCIOUSNESS.
Transforming the consciousness needs to happen everywhere, not just Africa.
LACK OF ACCESSING RESOURCES IS A BIG ISSUE FOR THE NATIVE CITIZENS IN AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA
Education can help people get out of poverty, but it is all about what kind of education they have and what level and quality and what kind of personality and skill sets that will determine if they can get out of poverty or not and also social circumstantial situations like if rents or buying properties are affordable or not and how much food and clothing and other basic necessities costs and in what region. I am sorry to say this, but in more developing cities like NYC, no matter how much education you get, it is still very difficult to get out of poverty due to expensive property values and inflation unless you become a CEO of a large company, there is unfortunately no place for the middle class residents now in big cities like this.
Don’t live in NYC then
Education is important, but education can be driven by economics. If the parents are not educated, but they earn a good middle class income to the point they can buy a home, save a little money etc. Then that home ends up being a tool for funding higher education, the parents realize they have the financial resources to improve children's education, and they make use of it. But if your poor, you days are pretty much consumed with surviving the week.You don't think there's any chance your children will do better, so you can only hope your children find a way to figure it out. But with no inspiration their children will simply continue on with the cycle of poverty.
@@jefflewis4 there is some truth in that. But luck works wonders sometimes. Some kids managed to make it without all you mentioned above but it’s just luck and some hard work too but mostly luck. But you cannot rely on luck for an entire country
@@immasavage2905 I've been reading books about John Rawls and luck egalitarianism, to me it's an unexpectedly liberating view on wealth distribution, humbling for the "winners" and soothing for the "losers". I'm excited that you mentioned luck as a factor in achieving economic success.
I published a book about how education can increase the probability of getting out of the cycle of poverty. I share my story of being a homeless student living with a single parent, bouncing around hotels, motels, and homeless shelters in my youth. Although education isn’t the absolute #1 ticket out of poverty, the choices we make sure influence our future. When we make the choice to not “show up” to class or make the choice to not try, we only hinder our possibilities. When we build this whole mindset of “school isn’t everything” all that does is deter more and more students. Education isn’t for 12 years, it’s a life-long process. Learning basic critical thinking skills, finance, and wisdom is a forever perpetual motion.
I’d like to add there is a huge difference between Sierra Leone and where I grew up (inner city Louisville). However, the main principal is that the mindset shapes each of our choices and attitudes towards anything we ever do. Now sometimes this can only get so far because of lack of resources. This is why programs and great leaders are needed to help show the light to students who need it the most.
@@griffinfurlongwhat’s the name of it
Amazing story. This amazing blessing happens to me in a third world country Nicaragua. I was a great student and I won a full scholarship to come to the United States for school and I got my major in business international. After graduation in 2006, I went back to my country and the company that I work for they brought me back to the US with a Work Visa, now I am an American citizen. I still help my parents financially and I paid off my car, I bought an apartment in Miami that I will pay off in the next 3 years. I invest in the stock market, I save money and live under my means. The secret in life is work hard, save money and invest. God bless you 🙏
Amazing story from The New York Times ❤👌
yes. it is so true here in our country, the philippines.
I am so impressed with such an ambitious plan for Sierra Leon- Sengeh is great!!! I pray that his plan works for his town and his country. Hope. Thank you for sharing this video. I enjoyed it.
I'm very amazed at what this man is doing. Let's be honest he had everything most of his people can't have and yet he decided to go back and try to fix things. I hope it will eventually work out despite the challenges.
if he was standing near that billionaire who pushed what happened in 2020, it means he works for them.
@@wisdomandlove1661 what billionaire?
Education is the source of ending all problems... Teaching people the skills to use their words, the skills to take action, and the specific skills to perform their responsibilities on the job.
I remember there is a research on the students at low competitive levels in China, researchers found their parents didn’t that care these teenagers’ education or simply their happiness, like 1 in 10 would ask their kids “what’s going on these days “, poorer income means lower probability of care-giving.
To these youths, they were not clear what to do after these “not that good “ education, what impress me was a boy graduated from a gem processing school, he claimed what he did was particular, which may be a luxury for a poor family. Everyone share a simple dream for personal achievement.
Poverty is a systemic issue,as long as you have this system of distributing resources to one another on the basis of money you will always have people whom are poor itself that simple.Poverty isnt a fact of nature , it’s entirely made up(ie the conditions that allow for poverty to merely exist).Certain things simply shouldn’t be bought or sold like housing,food and medication.
I love this video! A good education does change the world by 1. giving families hope of prosperity, 2. teaching kids basic skills useful to better interpret their world and 3. making girls delay the age of pregnancy so they will be better prepared emotionally and financially for child-rearing.
I can’t wait to see you having your day in court Kiddo! So bright and hopeful! I love it!
Gotta both understand the value of education, but simultaneously understand that it is not a panacea, and often the people who treat it as one are acting in bad faith. Using education as scapegoats to distract from other exploitative but profitable issues that they would rather people ignore.
Education remains the best path out of poverty.
Corruption is still the mightiest enemy to get out from.
This is great content
Both China and the USSR has taught us education alone does not address poverty. Education is important, yes, but both the USSR and China prioritized education yet were unable to lift people out of poverty even when they had some of brightest researchers at the time.
Education is important, but you need the underlying liberty and freedom offered from open-markets to allow science and investors to build a better society. When there is only a single investor (the State), there are plenty of innovations that fall behind, and likely many of the ones prioritized/investment end up failing. In other words business success is often more luck than effort, so if you just have the the State investing you have a limited potential of options going forward, while if you have open-markets and free investments, then you have more potential businesses (ie if market-impacting innovations happen at a rate of 1/1000, and the state only invests in 500 businesses, but a free and open-market is able to invest into 2500 businesses then you might expect only 0-1 successful businesses from the state whereas the open-market might product 2-3). On a national scale those small differences in business success aggregate into huge economic consequences, like the lack of food for a good portion of both USSR and China's history.
Deeply concerned with racism and gun violence in the US
I have a BA and MBA and worked for several colleges with predominantly black, hispanic and female populations.
1) Study something marketable that will get you a steady job.
2) Don't quit school until you graduate.
3) Work part-time or live with parents. Do not take out school loans for living expenses.
4) Don't get pregnant.
5) Stay out of trouble. Lawyers are expensive.
6) When you graduate, either move to where the jobs are or think seriously about going into business for yourself.
4) as a male is easy
I will give an example of why education is not on its own the solution.
Algeria post colonisation put a lot of money into education. That resulted in a fast increase in the education level of the country. Algeria was an oil producer so well capable of developing a robust economy but instead they became poorer and poorer until today they are a basket case where education along with other state services is falling apart, why?
Well its because alone education is actually a problem not a solution. What is needed is good jobs for those kids when they graduate which has to be planned for. What you also need is a break between religion and the state otherwise it will only be boys who will be educated and even then only to a certain degree. Corruption and nepotism has to be driven out of the society but how do you do that in a country where those two elements are not a problem but built into the system?
In Algeria's case what happened was first the educated kids the University students who were not connected left for France and better places. The highly educated even they had contacts and advantages could not reach the same level of earnings or professional advancement they wanted so they left.
So when those groups leave who is going to teach the new generation? The government in the late 70 and 80's thought it was a good idea to send Masters and PhD candidates to France and even Russia to complete their education. Almost every one of them stayed in France or afterwards looked for jobs in the west. My own Brother-in-Law was one of them, they even threatened him but he ignored them and has not been home since 1992.
What is going to happen in Sierra Leone is that the kids will get an education which is great then they will realise there are no jobs for that education so they either get angry or they join the other refugees crossing the Med on small boats.
When I married my Algerian wife I was amazed at how many North African immigrants to the UK were Doctors, Dentists, Accountants and even one Surgeon. They came to the UK and mostly worked as service staff, hotel cleaners, in the case of the Surgeon as a cook. Most of them eventually managed to integrate and move back into their professions. If they are prepared to take risks to get out of their countries, work in menial jobs that should tell you all you need to know about how education benefits their home countries. The only thing those countries get is remittances whilst the parents are alive then nothing.
I agree with your post 100%! Even in America, a highly educated nurse or phd certified woman would quit to strip or do OnlyFans because of money. Money is a very enticing factor. However, these adults are still beating students for not paying. The government made school free but yet allotted no penance for the teachers? This is suspicious. Sierra Leone is in dire straits, if literacy isn’t even a basic thing for the majority then education is a necessity!
@@ssmfetti Money here is not the problem mate its another thing entirely. That person who does other things in the US or Europe for money is not about to move their whole family on a dangerous route to another continent taking their lives in their hands to do so, are they?
The problem for Sierra Leone is not just education its the complete package.
I said a long time ago way back in the 80's after visiting Algeria that the only way you change countries like that is for the west to be hard with them. We the west need to take a very hard line with corruption. But at that time I was naïve I thought it was them who were the problem then I started to see the homes African leader bought in London and Paris, homes that only a handful of British/French citizens could afford. I thought hang on how is it a leader of a poor country in the poorest continent can afford a house next door to the Sultan of Bruni and the King of Saudi Arabia? Its The Bishops Avenue East Finchley otherwise known as Billionaires Alley. Anyway how did these guys get away with it? Well I was really naïve, turns out they were protected by our government and so what was that about objecting to corruption rhetoric? Nothing but hot air.
The first step in making Sierra Leone a decent place to live for educated people is to kick the bloody west out of the country and lock up the corrupt leaders who have made money bowing to the west.
I wouldn't say education can be a problem, it's just as you also pointed out not the only requirement. It is however still essential.
@@spe3dy744 Absent the other factors education is a serious problem. It creates expectations which can disabilities a country so the alternative for the ruling and failing class is to redirect that expectation abroad. Whilst I think education is always the best policy especially when we educate women it HAS to be coupled with the other factors or there will be unintended consequences. Believe me a workforce of labourers who have reasonable pay are a lot happier than an educated workforce who can only get a job as a labourer. Its actually and I know this is ironic more important to be happy than wealthy. Although being happy and poor is not that possible.
@@mikeorgan1993 Yeah I get what you're saying, but an educated population is also what is needed to build those work opportunities inside the country, I don't think it is possible to avoid going through a period with people leaving, but with proper investment a country can develop themselves to reduce it.
Education is simply one resource among many that is inequitably distributed.
Lovely conversation ✍️❤from Lagos Nigeria 🌍 teacher photographer
I certainly help somewhat if done correctly, but dont expect all problem will be solved just by education.
This segment feels like it was cut short. I wish they would have looked more closely at outcomes.
This my country where I am from Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 this break my heart because these politicians are lying. Teachers are not being paid so they request for money from the pupils and if they don’t bring it they are being beaten. The free education he is talking about there is always fees in these schools to get enrolled in them, and if they don’t pay you are not going to be admitted to the school. Our education system in Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 is broken 😢
There was a time when all wealthy nations were just a poor as sierra leon, yet their cultures didn’t get stuck in cycles of corruption. I wonder what what the key difference were that avoided corruption.
Just hope it's real education, teaching them how to think, how to read and write and speak, how to apply critical thinking and basic skepticism about official/power narratives. If it's just government education, they'll become good factory workers and steady voters who keep the system running, but don't create real profits beyond that because the people are propagandized, not educated. After official education, if they continue to learn and read, then you were successful.
As someone who's met girls from Afghanistan that at age 15 had never been taught simple math, I can tell you that even that little can change that much.
Why is there a culture of beatings as discipline? I want to guess that it comes from colonization, and communal trauma, where beatings were used by the colonizers to keep locals in line and they learned violence as a way to “discipline” their children.
Education makes people “richer” when it makes them candidates for higher paying jobs above the minimum wage. In this area, I’m not sure if a minimum wage even exists.
At this point in America, the only thing education does is put you in life-long debt that you will never escape.
Until Education will be seen as 'financial investment' for 'economic growth' and not as an inalienable right of every child, that country/society cannot change anything.
This guy is saying that he DOES NOT want education to be FREE. As an educated person, I can understand what he has written.
Do not upvote his comment!
Fascinating. Please follow up with a report on how best to change the societal mindset and culture on education. East Asian countries and India may be the best case studies of which I am aware. Thanks
Education does not end poverty. Wealth parity ends poverty. Not everyone can become a lawyer. We still need farmers, bus drivers, home health and care aids. For society to function, we need a wide variety of roles filled, some of which receive massively less pay. Solving that disparity does not, in my opinion, require indirect tangential action.
That said, education is tremendously important in its own right. It allows a community, or county, or country to make informed decisions about what we need and how to get it. Education is the most important thing in the world to me and to the world, beyond basic survival.
Interesting video, though I felt that it left me on a hanging note. I would've loved to hear about what measures the Sierra Leone government is taking to address the shortcomings of education- from better policy enforcement to increasing the pay of teachers.
Sounds like birth control would also help. I cannot even imagine the mothers trying to care for 7 to 8 kids without a viable living wage and just the amount of stress these women must endure daily would be unimaginable. I cannot believe that in 2023 we are still trying to get education to millions around this globe, I am 56 yrs old and this has been an issue literally my entire life it seems. Does it make it easier for countries to control their people if they keep them ignorant, of course it does. What a waste of human potential.
If you live on a farm you need more kids to help you
Flogging and school fees is not African education systems only problem. You mention China and South Korea. Two countries that teach in their own language. You even see in their video they are speaking their native language in the Asian classrooms. African classrooms still teach in colonial tongue. That is another issue for retention. If you ask me. Chinese even teach chemistry and physics in Chinese.
As Carlin said- "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it"
I am outraged to see teachers caning young students for not paying fees, which is illegal, but the teachers themselves confess that they must "take a little bit from the pupils" since they dont' earn a salary. How cruel can this be. Yet, apparently this is the tradition in Sierra Leone. Does being poor lead to being violent and heartless??
"Education is a gamble."
"Does education really impact poverty?"
Strange framework to start what felt like a hastily wrapped report that definitely could use followup on the 'hard' parts of education outcomes and accountability. Seemed to abandon the premise of the impact of education on poverty for a sentimental note about hope.
Show us diagrams... I wanna see resource allocation heat maps. Let's talk solutions... A Wikipedia of world class lesson plans to fast track students into STEM available to support these teachers.
Have a call to action?
Maybe my journalism expectations are exaggerated.
Great idea!
I think those are excellent criticisms and well said.
Neoliberal puff piece. Putting an end to unregulated markets and corporate oligarchy, imperialist empires with their interventionist policies, is how you end poverty.
The comments here are heartwarming. It is nice to hear people admit that poverty is man-made. Because that is the first step.
Former Salone PCV here. One of Sierra Leone's biggest problems confronting education is structural: the centralized state simply does not and cannot respond to the bureaucratic needs that ensure a functioning education system. In my school--in the very far East of the country--teachers were often (and I'm sure they still are) paid late--months, late. So, they have no choice but to extract money from pupils. When Maada Bio was first elected in 2018, there were high hopes that a 'free' education would free students from the extortion and the teachers from free labor. But because the state does not possess neither modern machinery to ensure on-time salary and administrative payments, nor a carrot-stick method (worsened by party politics), there's nothing that they can do to produce better outcomes for those kids (and many young adults past the age of 21 who are often in secondary school).
Very sad situation indeed.
Thanks for explaining. Journalists from rich countries always gloss over the stuff you're talking about.