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Levels of education key to economic and social well-being
2007-08-15 08:25:28
By Mwaka Nakasula
A recent United Nations study revealed that school leavers pose a major problem to Sub Saharan countries.
The findings reveal that most dormant and unemployed youths are now engaged in counter productive activities such as Drug trafficking, commercial sex, child labour and forced military activities.
As the adage goes, an idle mind is the devils workshop.
It is only within the constraints of human nature that such youths find themselves vulnerable to such vices.
Though peer pressure and ill advice could also be among the leading causes, the fact of the matter such are done to offshoot the hash economic circumstances currently prevailing in most countries in the region.
Such are worrying revelations especially because most countries in the Sub Sahara region are still considered as being underdeveloped despite the massive natural recourses that countries in the aforementioned part of Africa are endowered with.
Leaders are now faced with growing challenges such as achieving Millemum Development Goals.
It is worth mentioning that individual countries in the region are faced with a cross diversity of economic and social challenges that could be attributed to the rise in such counter productive vices.
But what is worrying the most is the impact that such negative vices have on the overall development of the sub Saharan region as the study further reveals that such are victims of HIV AIDS infections, drug abuse and worst of all end up living in extreme poverty and hopelessness.
Containing the spread of the HIV AIDS virus for example is among the greatest challenges that most sub Sarahan countries are facing.
The United Nations Development Programme says ,what is often overlooked is the ripple effect the epidemic will have on future governance, social structures and growth of the worst hit countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dramatically high mortality rates will result in the depletion of much of the labour force, both in urban and rural areas, with the losses having a profound impact on the very foundations of economies and state administration.
The study reveals that some of the reasons attributed to out of school youth problems include political instability among African countries, poverty, and parental mistreatment.
Other reasons include involvement in cults and traditional norms that could be considered as offensive.
Early and forced marriages for example are a common occurrence in most African countries.
Young girls who are as young as 12 are forced into arranged marriages by their parents and have little and no option but to cut short their education thus denying them the chance to lead a stable economic and social life.
In such instances the victims have no say lest they be deemed as outcasts.
The study also cited a case study of Tanzania where young girls are either denied or have no access to educational facilities thus moving to urban parts of the country to look for employment as House maids.
Most of these young girls are most often mistreated and susceptible to sexual abuse by male employers.
Not only that but they are normally lowly paid and over worked.
The trauma that they at times go through leads them to explore other income generating ventures such indulging in commercial sex.
The fact that they have a low or no level of education to enable them obtain formal employment leaves them with very limited options but to turn to the latter as a means of survival.
Such cases are not unique to Tanzania but also apply to other countries in the region.
It is therefore impendent for Governments in Southern Africa to ensure that existing polices of reintegrating school drop outs back into the education system are implemented in a highly virogious matter if at all such countries are record steady levels of economic development.
Education is key to the process of human centered development and is strongly associated with better health and nutrition.
A study conducted by the United Nations Emergency Children’s Fund reveals that economic returns from education are higher than from most other kinds of investment.
The study also reveals that differences in the level of education are critical factors in explaining differences in economic growth between countries with similar natural resources base and level of investment.
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