by Carlos Hurworth

Created on: December 15, 2009

Travel to any developing country, and you will soon gawk in wonder as to why you are seeing some of the things you are seeing.  Put aside the obvious differences in economics and resources - and factor in the always possible wartime and religious factors, not forgetting the almost myriad others - and it almost invariably comes down to one thing: education.  Whether its mobilising the people to improve their individual situations, stimulating them to get involved in their government's policies, or helping them to successfully raise a family, education is no doubt the key to ensuring the progress of a nation, and a nation's people.

I recently travelled to India, and was more than amazed by many things that i saw.  What was perhaps the most astonishing thing though, was an Indian's complete disregard for their environment, their surrounds and the consequences of their neglect.  In some cases, there was an overwhelming presence of signs warning against littering, advising cleanliness and even prohibiting plastics and other materials in some more sacred areas.  Nevertheless though, rubbish still piled on the street, was burned on the road, dumped in canals and strewn everywhere - even where the land was sacred, and the materials prohibited.

India's literacy rate is as low as 54% for women, and it is also said that India accounts for more than one third of the world's illiterate - a figure set to hold the majority within the next decade.  For these people - often forced out of school, without government help to afford more than a basic year two level education - even the simplest signs and warnings, written in their mother tongue, are like words on deaf ears.  Educating these people about the damage they are doing to their home on our earth, all of a sudden becomes a near to impossible task.

And the results are harrowing to say the least.  Poverty still reigns in India (like many developing nations), and there are millions who are forced into living meagre lives, struggling to survive on the education they've inherited from their city's streets and their accompanying schools of hard knocks.  Rubbish piles, burns, floats, lingers and loiters anywhere and everywhere you look - not only a mark of a country that may be struggling with its population and growth, but also a mark of a people who one can witness finishing a snack, and nonchalantly dropping its wrapper from the window of the bus they ride.  It simply is just the norm - and if its not the case, only a very small part of the population knows, cares, or can even understand to be told.

Better teacher training will no doubt empower those who will serve to benefit from an improved education.  - The opportunities are practically endless (and boundless) and the importance of a government's investment in its country's education, cannot be overstated.  From improving the chances of success and a normal life for the young, to allowing youth to be involved in a country's politics, and those already working, to improve their skills; from encouraging competition within the workforce, to ensuring everyone understands the importance of environmental awareness - nothing can be more important in allowing someone to prosper.  - In any way.  A better education will simply ensure a future for all.

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