ESL Blogs

Recently, the World Bank has announced that shortage of funding will soon affect availability of education in the poorest regions of the world.

According to them, it'll surely widen the socioeconomic gap and escalate the tension.

The fact that, after a few years of schooling, many kids still can't read or count, is being emphasized.

Here's what I personally think.

For thousands of years, education has been a family/community affair. All kids got their education based on the everyday needs of their communities. As you can see, reading and counting hasn't always been a priority. The twenty-first century, obviously, changed the rules of the game. The government and the global community stepped in to ensure the kids can get the best the world has to offer. That's when the family and the local community somewhat faded away. I've heard that a lot: "No, my kid can't read. He'll go to school, they'll teach 'em.  - (one year later) He's reluctant to read. It's not my problem they don't want to teach him to love to read at school. What do I do after work? Watch TV, get together with friends, chat with a neighbour. What? No, I've had enough of reading as I child, I don't have to read any more!"

Funding's scarce, so the family and the community ought to step back in. Hopefully, there's some lesson learned. Hopefully, those, who have the access to the Internet, will make use of the endless free learning opportunities available online.

Let's hope for the best.