Education: A Ladder to Success

            When discussing development in third-world countries, we often speak of education. Education is, in fact, one of areas of investment and development spoken about most often. It’s one of the few things all of us can really agree on – a person’s right to an education. However, amongst all the buzzwords and “action plans”, it’s easy to forget why this crucial area of development is one of the strongest links in the chain towards getting a country like Sierra Leone back on its feet.

            Education is widely recognized as one of the fastest, surest way out of poverty, for many people. When a person is properly educated, the institutional limits and barriers he or she experiences are not so impossible to overcome. With access to not only basic education, but also secondary school and university education, an individual can achieve higher levels of career success, and as such, provide better opportunities for her family to do the same.

            To achieve these goals, we need to do a few things – the first of which is make sure basic education is available to all children. A child K-5 has the right to a basic elementary school education, in a building that is safe, with teachers that are caring, qualified and have access to resources that allow them to teach their students as best possible. Girls must be not only permitted, but also encouraged to go to school. A society where one sex is dependent on the other financially, as due to their respective levels of schooling, is only bound for trouble. Additionally, opportunities for education for men and women past traditional schooling age are vital. We cannot educate the youngest and wait for them to grow up and effect change – we need to have an educated, informed population now to begin the track to a better country.

            We must also help Sierra Leone to create the infrastructure to support these aims, as well as infrastructure that supports college graduates – offering good jobs in business, finance, service, science, politics, medicine, academia and more. If Sierra Leone keeps its brightest students (arguably, its best chance for a successful future) within its borders with good jobs and great opportunities, all the benefits of having a well-educated, successful productive populace will return to the soil of the country, and continue to bless it and propel it into a bright future for all.

Marisa N.

Volunteer Blogger | Khadarlis for Sierra Leone

marisa@khadarlis.org