This seems to be the common proposed solution when it comes to resolving the issues troubling impoverished and war-torn countries. I do not know the exact reasons but I figure that it's due to our perception that the success of almost everything in life originates from knowing the "how" through the gaining of knowledge/expertise. In another words, it's the receiving of education, or of being educated. Seen in this light, we can understand why many advocates push for education in these countries, such as creating AIDS awareness, increasing literacy level and resolving conflicts in the region through proper education.
However, this is regrettably not a workable solution since we humans tend to satisfy our needs in a certain order, best illustrated by Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In countries ripped with poverty and torn by conflicts, educating people is not going to work, be it to reduce violence or to prevent the spreading of diseases.
Now, let's have a look at the issue of violence first. Most of us know that violence cannot stamp out violence. However, at the same time, we feel that people can be educated to be peace-loving people through education. This is most likely going to work in times of peace and more importantly, when people's needs are satisfied. However, in impoverished countries torn by conflicts, there's a vast imbalance between people from these countries and the developed countries. This imbalance primarily caused by the widening income gap between the rich and the poor- are creating dissatisfaction and frustration in people. It is creating jealousy and resentment. The scale of human equality is now heavily tipped. This has always been so since the age of capitalism but this imbalance is most prominently seen and felt in impoverished and conflict-torn countries. Seen in this light, education will not work. People's needs must be satisfied first. But how can this achieved? From Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we can see that people's basic needs must be satisfied first, which means food and water. This brings us to another issue that will compromise the people's quality of life in these impoverished and war-torn countries: diseases.
In recent years, we can see aid coming to these countries through the provision of medical facilities, supplies and services. And this is the right step in the right direction. Considering that food supply is still in shortage in this part of the world, it is comforting to see that the world has come to the aid of the people in need in these countries. Now, having said this, I am not saying that education is totally ineffective. Providing medical aid to the people is effective and efficient but if the disease spreads too fast too soon, all efforts to save the people in these countries will be in vain and futile. This is one of the times where education is useful. Consider the spread of AIDS in these countries, which is often rampant. Educating people may will be the only solution to stamping out AIDS in these countries.
What needs to be done now is not to stop the act of education. As can be seen in the aforementioned example, education does play a role in helping these people in impoverished and war-torn countries.
But education does not play a pivotal role.
Meeting the needs of these people is.
It's time the world prioritises meeting the needs of these people over education. The challenge lies in channelling the resources from developed countries to these impoverished and war-torn countries. Most of us have a "resources are scarce" mentality that is compromising this endeavour from materialising. This can also partly be attributed to the fact that the value of altruism is diminishing over the years. A rather undesirable "self-centric" model is replacing it.
If we do not promote altruism to our later generations now, human will soon adopt a "what's in it for me" mindset and over time, it will not just be these people in these impoverished and war-torn countries that are suffering.
The world itself will probably plunge into chaos, mayhem and disorder.