Minority Education Rights, Essay Example

Statement of the Problem

The Modern United Nations, MUN, has addressed the problem of minority education on several occasions around the world.  Many countries have fallen victim to a lack of educational opportunity and even availability. These countries are high in poverty and economical, cultural, and political injustice. “The fight for human rights in Latin America is an unfinished process that is linked to the battles for liberation of our countries and our peoples. One thing is certain: when the context changes, the nature of the battle also changes, making it necessary to adopt new strategies for education.”[1]

History of the Problem

In countries with minority, history has show that education has never been a priority.  This factor has aided in the poverty and inequality.  Children have to quit school early on to work and help support their family.  For example in Mexico, the average is 7.7 years of schooling.  This has only increased 1.7 years in over seven decades, since 1940.  In other poverty stricken countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Honduras, and Nicaragua the poorest families get welfare payments with the contingency that their children continue their education; however it has not made a significant difference with the problem. The report, Finishing School. A Right for Children’s Development: a Joint Effort says there are some 117 million boys, girls and adolescents in the preschool, primary and basic secondary education age groups in the region, 6.5 million of whom do not attend school.[2]

Current Situation

“Currently two-thirds of Latin American children now get at least some secondary education whereas only half did in the mid-1980s.”[3]One of the biggest factors that continue to deprive minorities in poorer countries from their educational rights is basic funding.  “Despite increased government support for education in Latin America over the past decades, lagging commitments in national budgets and stagnant donor country aid resources have left many public systems underfunded.”[4]With families struggling to pay for the bare necessities such as food and shelter, the cost of education becomes almost a luxury that cannot be afforded.

Past UN Actions

The UN has given a great deal of attention to the lack of minority rights education.  This has been extremely prevalent in many countries. “Education is the key to confronting the deep inequities in our region, and therefore we must work from all sectors so that all girls, boys and adolescents can complete their schooling” said UNICEF’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Bernt Aasen. “Efforts made in the education sector must be coordinated with those in the social protection, health and nutrition sectors, as well as with families and communities, UNICEF actively works to make this form of coordination reality.”[5]

Possible Solutions

The first solution for minority education in these countries is resources.  There are not enough educational facilities, materials, or teachers to education the youth in these countries. There has to be a drastically different strategy if the mass of hopeless children are to have a better option.  “More than an educational problem, Latin America faces a mix of problems in different areas that until now were not directly connected to the field of education. In other words, the problems we face have more to do with issues of connectivity, access to computational capacity, and the costs of computing and of telecommunication, than with content or curricula.”[6]

Another solution will be to have qualified and trained teacher to lead the youth. According to Carole Salvatierra, an international consultant on population and development issues,”We are creating two urban classes: those who are prepared to lead, with broad technological and scientific knowledge, and their subordinates, who have a deficient education and are ill-prepared for the challenges of the next century.”[7]The government needs to be involved as well.  It is a part of the solution for the poverty stricken society that they are currently living in.  ” Instead, it firmly pursued responsible and socially sound economic policies that today have become the norm in the region.”[8]

Questions a Resolution must answer

How will the UN and other organizations make a difference in Latin American and other countries educational rights?

Should there be specific guidelines to ensure all countries participate in equal educational rights for all children?

What can be done to ensure the government enforces the requirements for minimum education levels?

How can minority rights be protected in providing equal education opportunities that are available in the United States and other developed countries?

Key Actors and Positions

The Modern United Nations, MUN, is a contributor in the educational importance of our youth.  They operate most of the countries around the world. The United Nations and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF have are the biggest key actors in the solution to minority educational rights.  They have implemented many programs to create funding and opportunities for children in underdeveloped countries to continue their education and provide a better life for themselves and their families.  UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean also plays an important role in Latin American education.  Save the Children, an organization in Dominican Republic is a key actor in their educational development.  ”Currently, Save the Children works in 69 communities located along the northern and central border with Haiti as well as approximately 20 communities in the Sugar Cane Production Region called bateyes. Through the effective implementation of development programs in health and nutrition, preventive health care, water and sanitation, education, community development, and children’s rights, Save the Children now helps more than 70,000 men, women and children throughout the Dominican Republic attain their rights and improve their quality of life.”[9]

References

Fernandez, Benito. “Popular Education in the Struggle for Human Rights in Latin America.” DVV International.  2012. 21 Oct. 2012 Web.

More Latin Americans are Being Educated, but Not Well. The Economist Newspaper Limited. 2002. 20 Oct. 2012. Web.

“UN Report Urges Joint Action to Ensure all Children in Latin America Can Finish Schooling.” UN News Center.  25 Oct. 2012. Web.

“Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children.” Unicef.  2012. Print.

“Corporate Social Investments in Education in Latin America and the Caribbean: Mapping the Magnitude of Multilatinas’ Private Dollars for Public Good.” The Booking Institution. 2012. 21 Oct. 2012 Web.

Arboleda, Rodrigo. “Latin America’s Educational Challenge.” Latin Business Chronicles. 2007.25 Oct. 2012. Web.

Portillo, Zoraida. “Latin America Gets Poor Marks.” InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS). 1999. 28 Oct. 2012. Web. 

Jellinek, Sergio. “On Global Issues, Latin America is Now Part of the Solution.”World  Bank Group. 2011. 30 Oct. 2012. Web.

“Dominican Republic.” Save the Children Federation. 2011. 30 Oct. 2012. Web.

“STUDY: Latin America Needs Investment in Teacher Training & Education Software.”           Hispanically Speaking News. 30 Oct. 2012. Web.

[1]Fernandez, Benito. “Popular Education in the Struggle for Human Rights in Latin America.” DVV International.  2012. 21 Oct. 2012 Web.

[2]“Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children.” Unicef.  2012. Print.

[3]More Latin Americans are Being Educated, but Not Well. The Economist Newspaper Limited. 2002.  20 Oct. 2012. Web.

[4]“Corporate Social Investments in Education in Latin America and the Caribbean: Mapping the Magnitude of Multilatinas’ Private Dollars for Public Good.” The Booking Institution. 2012. 21 Oct. 2012 Web.

[5]“UN Report Urges Joint Action to Ensure all Children in Latin America Can Finish Schooling.” UN News Center.  25 Oct. 2012. Web.

[6]Arboleda, Rodrigo. “Latin America’s Educational Challenge.” Latin Business Chronicles. 2007.25 Oct. 2012. Web.

[7]Portillo, Zoraida. “Latin America Gets Poor Marks.” InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS). 1999. 28 Oct. 2012. Web. 

[8]Jellinek, Sergio. “On Global Issues, Latin America is Now Part of the Solution.”World Bank Group. 2011. 30 Oct. 2012. Web.

[9]“Dominican Republic.” Save the Children Federation. 2011. 30 Oct. 2012. Web.