GLOBAL: What can be done?

Realistically, what can be done about this issue?
Germany:
Problem: weak link in teacher training
Solution: Unlike in most other European countries, preschool teachers in Germany only need to complete a three-year training program to work as an early child educator, and not the full post-secondary education required from primary school teachers. [1] The lack of sufficient training leaves teachers unequipped to provide children with intellectually-stimulating games and basic playful lessons in natural science, mathematics, and reading. [1] The teachers can be trained to university level to ensure better preparation for their double roles of educators and supervisors. In addition, initiatives by universities can be created to offer new specialized study courses on “pre-school education training.” These courses should be state-funded to decrease the amount of money that teachers need to spend on their training and education.

Problem: matters of education are regulated at state level with different states sometimes pursuing conflicting policies
Solution: The education ministers from the sixteen federal states can agree on a common framework to improve education levels of early childhood teachers.

China:
Problem: social and economic gap between urban and rural areas is huge
Solution: Of the 1.3 billion Chinese, only 800 million live in the countryside where agriculture is the main livelihood. Rural schools lag behind urban schools in terms of teacher qualifications, facilities, and quality. [2] This imbalance is causing large numbers of children to have to migrate to cities just to receive an education. To solve this problem, the Chinese government can complete nine years of basic education for all by creating boarding schools in remote areas, providing free textbooks and other subsidies to prevent children from dropping out of school, and creating an ambitious distance learning system to leapfrog rural schools into the twenty-first century. [2] It can also create a rotation system where city teachers work for a period in rural schools in exchange for salary and career benefits. The government can implement technology to serve rural parts of China. For example, distance education centers can be created in schools with computers, satellite dishes, televisions, and DVD players through which master teachers will relay lessons to schools in poor rural areas. [2]

Egypt:

Problem: regional disparities in school attendance
Solution: While Egypt is working hard to expand early childhood education from 13 percent of the population to 60 percent by 2010, poor families living in rural areas continue to face daunting obstacles to sending their children to school. [5] Organizations like the World Food Program (WFP) can help ease the burden of parents and share their responsibilities in providing food to their children by distributing high-energy snacks and meals at school. Hopefully, this will encourage parents to enroll their children in preschool and have a better future. The WFP can also provide families with “take-home rations” such as rice and vegetable oil as an incentive to send their children to school. [3] The food will also improve intellectual retention and provide nutrition for the children, most of whom are underweight or stunted.

Afghanistan:
Problem: war and isolation of the country continue
Solution: Due to internal strife, the country has been isolated from the outside world and trying to endure the economic hardships and lack of resources. Leaders of Afghanistan must put in place a consensus government to create a reconstruction and rehabilitation plan, which can include an education ministry that will implement a set of plans to revive the education program. [4] However, one does not know when the war will end and whether or not the new government will make education a priority. Therefore, for now, strong community support for education could increase with one individual spreading awareness. Also, the International NGOs and Aid Agencies can assist the basic educational needs of children, particularly those of girls. [4] To provide at least some kind of education, home-schools can be developed by parents. Home-schools will also help cope with the security of girls and can prove to be cost effective.

What are the “powers at be” not doing? Why?
The “powers at be” are NOT:
• Providing sufficient teacher training
• Agreeing on a common framework for education programs in their country
• Decreasing the social and economic gap between urban and rural areas
• Taking care of the poverty in rural areas (Egypt)
• Creating a consensus government (Afghanistan)

What impact could you have to change to current situation?
• Send toys and supplies to various countries so that they can save money and spend it on other things such as improving the facilities and training teachers
• For some countries like Egypt and Afghanistan, it might be more helpful to donate food and canned goods since many families in rural areas can barely feed their children
• Hold a fundraiser to raise money and donate it to a preschool education organization
• Increase awareness in your community about the education conditions in other countries to help promote change (With increased awareness, more people will donate and take action for this issue.)

What do you foresee in the future if the solution(s) you’re advocating is/are not implemented or if conditions continue in their present state indefinitely?
If conditions continue in their present state indefinitely, the children of foreign countries will fall farther and farther behind. If children do not attend preschool or receive any kind of education, there will be an increase in poverty and violence, which might stir up more wars with other countries, possibly even with the United States. The death rate of children may also increase due to their uneducated-parents’ inability to find a well paying job to provide food and other necessities. Also, the increasing disparity between urban and rural areas may cause other economic problems.

Resources/Links
1 http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1690133,00.html
2 http://www.internationaled.org/publications/ChinaDelegationReport120105b.pdf
3 http://www2.unesco.org/wef/countryreports/egypt/rapport_1.htm#part1
4 http://www2.unesco.org/wef/countryreports/afghanistan/rapport_3.html
5 http://www.wfp.org/newsroom/in_depth/Africa/egypt/050527_egypt.asp?section=2&sub_section=2