The Empires of the Future are the Empires of the Mind

      The empires of the future are the empires of the mind. – Winston Churchill. Education is a very important part of our lives, since we know live in a world of discoveries and knowledge. Not every child has the opportunity that we here at ISKL receive and that is why I know and believe it is worth fighting for.

      Education is a key part to any child’s life, no matter where they are in the world. For example, even now 20 million children have never attended a public school (info graphic). To us - who have a proper education - this seems unlikely, but in third world countries, it is true. A majority of these children live in third world countries and extreme poverty, with little or no food or water. Another reason why education is important is that it can affect their long-term lifestyle. This means that if even one child in a family is able to go to school and get a high school diploma, the chances of him or her getting a proper job increases. Then, with the money that they receive from the job, they can get a chance to go a proper college and then it goes on from there. Soon the family won’t be poor anymore and will get out of poverty. The result of a complete high-school education can result to getting accepted into a good college and university.

      If a child receives a proper education, they will be able to get into good universities and get proper jobs as well. One outcome could be them getting into a proper university and improve their qualifications. This can mean that they won’t have to live in poverty anymore and improve the lifestyle of the next generation. Additionally, when the child gets married, their husband or wife could also be very qualified. This can allow them to be able to more abroad and live in outside countries, spreading their knowledge and culture as well. This is why education for every child is not only beneficial to the child themselves, but to the rest of the world as well.

Click here to go to the "Education For All" Website by UNESCO

      Schooling is not only beneficial for the child themselves, but for the rest of us as well. Many of the greatest scientists, authors and peace- and freedom fighters, such as Oprah Winfrey, Amartya Sen and Muhammad Yunus, and Maya Angelou didn’t come from rich families, yet they have made a huge impression on the world. They went through many struggles, such as racism, poverty and discriminations – but they succeeded and are some of the most influential figures in history.  One example we can use is Maya Angelou - who is now a famous poet, writer and actor - and her tough childhood. She came from an extremely poor family and was abused by her mother’s boyfriend when she was only eight years old. Maya had to move between houses and once in a while, she didn’t even have an actual home! However, she was able to write exceptional poems and books using her experiences, such as her book I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and her Pulitzer Prize nominated poem Give Me A Cool Drink Of Water ‘Fore I Die. And now, she is an icon for her success. Numerous writers and peace fighters etc. came from unprivileged backgrounds, showed us their experiences, spread out their messages and made the world a better place.

      I know that we can improve the education crisis by encouraging schooling and helping build institutes for the less fortunate; and then we can end world poverty one child at a time.