Universal Primary Education
Ever since I was in first grade, I wanted to be a first grade teacher. The joy of learning, especially reading, was so intense I just couldn’t get enough. The way those little symbols could represent not only words but thoughts was a thing of wonder.
I realized my goal and became a first grade teacher, as well as preschool and kindergarten along the way. I worked with a lot of challenged students who had various disabilities that interfered with their success in learning to read. Many techniques and hours of individualized instruction were required to assist these children, but the rewards were great as they began to decipher the “symbols” on the page.
Millions of children around the world have an even greater challenge to overcome in learning to read………….they don’t have access to schools. Even where schools exist, families don’t have the financial resources to pay for the books, fees, uniforms or even shoes to enable their children to attend these schools.
The consequences for these children and the world are numerous:
Literacy is directly related to income level and economic success.
Family size is dramatically reduced as education for girls increases.
Young people who have completed primary education are less than half as likely to contract HIV as those lacking an education.
Universal primary education would cost $10 billion a year……….Americans spend that and more each day for our morning coffee.
The target for this goal is to ensure that by 2015 children everywhere will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. Success will be measured by looking at net enrollment ratio in primary education as well as the proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5 and the literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds.
You can make a difference in reaching this goal………….read, learn more, join others in supporting one of the following :
Beads for Education http://www.beadsforeducation.org/
Christian Children’s Fund http://www.christianchildrensfund.org
One World Youth Project http://www.oneworldyouthproject.org/howtohelp.html
Education International http://www.ei-ie.org/en/aboutus
Consider having one less cup of coffee each day and helping a child read the morning paper or job advertisement.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
……..Sally Mueller