Zambia is faced with a lot of problems, but the main one of them is lack of child education. Although almost all people have the opportunity to go to school, very few make it through college because their parents cannot afford to pay for it or are not able to commute long distances between home and school. Statistics show that 67,279 children dropped out of school between the ages of seven and thirteen in 2007 (USAID web). Moreover, in 2008, 800,000 children cannot go to school either because they are from desperately poor families or are AIDS orphans (Global Giving)
For instance, here is an eight year old kid whose parents are deceased, and all he is left with is an old grandmother who cannot do anything for herself. How possible is it that such a child can become proactive, and impact the country in a positive way? If these children drop out of school, who will be in school and where is the future of the country? The future of Zambia relies on the education of children because they are the future leaders, so not sending them to school is the greatest damage we can do to the country and generations to come .Of course, some people may oppose this argument because of the cost it might require to make education accessible to every child, but what they do not realize that illiteracy will cost us more than we think. If these children do not get educated, they will end up on the streets thereby becoming unproductive in the society. Moreover, girls will end up becoming prostitutes which will result in contracting HIV/AIDS or having kids that they cannot take care of. As a consequence, we all have a role to play in making it possible for all children go to school regardless of their background.
In the past, Zambia had free education from first grade through twelfth. This education policy provided an opportunity for all people to be educated, but the problem was that the responsibility was left with the government to do it alone. However, the free education policy could not last long because the government had insufficient funds for it; as a result, families started paying for education from kindergarten through college. Most Zambians have big families, so they can only afford to educate some of their kids and the ones who are not educated are the ones who end up on the streets. Hence, the best way to resolve the problem is to get every Zambian citizen, government, non-governmental organizations and the rest of the world involved in providing enough education resources for all children. Thus, the solution calls for a participatory process.
There are a lot of steps that have to be taken to brighten the future of Zambian children. The first step is to call upon all Zambian citizens who are in the USA and other well to do countries to donate money or sawing machines or any equipment that can help generate money to underprivileged families so that they can send their children to school. On the contrary, some people may oppose this idea because most of them who are in the in the Western world are also students; as a result, they cannot manage to donate money towards education in Zambia. However, if all people put their little resources together, the proposal is achievable. Besides, farmers who are still in Zambia can also donate their produce to the government for sale, hence generating more funds for education. While some people may agree with the proposal, some may still be curious about how much the proposal might cost.
To make this proposal a reality, funds have to be generated to support the education of children. The funds can be generated via organizing fundraising banquets. For example, a Zambian couple organized a fundraising banquet here in Tulsa, and raised about one thousand dollars which can send fifteen kids to school. If all Zambians who are in the civilized countries can do the same, more children can go back to school. In fact, people do not necessarily need to contribute much money because it only takes about fifteen dollars to sponsor a kid in school for a semester. In addition, the government has to consider resuming the free education policy and partnering with the private sector so more children can go back to school. Because Zambia is rich in natural resources, some of the money can come from tourism. Besides sending children to school, nongovernmental organizations and the government should make these children sign a contract, so that after they graduate and start working, can somehow pay back the money by sponsoring younger children that are coming up behind them; thus, making them responsible Zambian citizens. Moreover, resources are needed too in making education available and possible for all children.
Some of the resources needed are vocational schools, bicycles, and sewing machines. For example, if there are free training centers for adults across the country, women and men can learn how to design and saw clothes for sale. Eventually, families become more self reliant than always depending on government and outside support for the education of their children. Since most of the children live far way from school, bicycles can help improve attendance because they do not have to walk long distances to school. As stated earlier, these resources will not come from one person or the government alone, but from donors, nongovernmental organizations and every Zambian citizen.
The education of Zambian children guarantees many inexplicable benefits. If Zambian children are educated, they stand a better chance of getting well paying jobs to support themselves and the future generations; as a result, there will not be street kids and drug addicts across the country. Furthermore, the more literate people are the less impact poverty has on Zambia. For example, most churches in Zambia are willing to help street kids, but the majority of people in the church are illiterate, so they do not earn enough money to sponsor children to school. However, the opposition may still not realize the importance of children’s education because there are Zambians who own great businesses, but have never been to school. I definitely understand, but if those people were educated they would do business on an international level, and generate more money, and contribute towards children’s education.
The education of Zambian children may not seem necessary to some people, but the benefits it offers cannot be neglected. Children are loaded with visions and dreams that can only come true via education; therefore, let not illiteracy, hinder them from fulfilling their dreams. When donors sponsor a child in school, they do not realize that they may be sponsoring the future president of Zambia who may contribute to the betterment of the country. Moreover, education will help cease the rampart spread of HIV/AIDS among the youth because they will retain the sense of purpose. All in all, this proposal suggests working together with one goal and purpose by putting differences aside.
By Prudence Kalomo