Education Initiatives in Developing Countries

The literacy rate in developing countries is very low. It is estimated that the literacy rate of countries such as Afghanistan, Rwanda, Azerbaijan, India, Bangladesh etc. is well below 60%. There is a dire need for the governments of developing countries to take education initiatives in order to raise the literacy rate.

An increase in literacy rates will automatically mean an improvement in the quality of life as educated people will get better jobs, earn better and thereby live better. The overall economy of the country will flourish and the country will eventually move from being a developing country into a developed country.

When it comes to education initiatives, the kind of initiatives that need to be taken are that more schools need to be set up in rural areas. Education needs to be accessible to all. The standard of government schools needs to be improved and that can only happen when investments are made by the government and NGOs. Highly educated teachers need to be hired in order to raise the quality of education.

In rural areas there should be a monetary incentive for sending girls to school. This incentive will encourage people to educate their daughters who are otherwise brought up only to be good housekeepers and cooks. Special attention needs to be paid to the education of girls, i.e. there should be more all-girls schools opened across the country.

Another education initiative that needs to be taken in developing countries is that more libraries need to be opened and should be accessible to all and sundry. It shouldn’t be membership based, where the membership is available only to the elite class. Libraries should be open to the public so that the masses can benefit from them. Furthermore the libraries should be equipped with computers that can be used by anyone who walks in. Such libraries will augment the education system as students will be able to access computers even if they do not have one themselves.

Developing countries can also benefit from hiring foreign teachers to come into the country and educate its people. Foreign teachers are likely to impart better quality education to the locals and teach them skills that a local teacher may not be qualified enough to teach.

On the whole, developing countries really need to take education initiatives so as to boost their economy and raise the standard of living of its people.