Poverty Leaves 700,000 Students Without An Education

A concerning new report has revealed that almost 670,000 youth have no access to education. That number is continuting to rise according to secretary-general Thosaporn Sirisumphand of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).

The main cause is poverty with other causes to be anywhere from family problems, teen pregnancies, illnesses, the need for youngsters to care for sick family members and parents’ frequent labour migration, said the Equitable Education Fund.

The report also highlights the widening gaps in education between families of different financial status. In the top 10% of families, 80% of their children completed high school or vocational college and 63% of them graduated from universities.

However, those in the poorest 10% of families saw only 40% of children finishing high school or vocational college, with only 4% obtaining a bachelor’s degree.

Mr Thosaporn said being cut out of the education system early deprives young people of their “human capital” potential, which increases in proportion to their higher educational background and acquired job skills. By contrast, the fewer skills they acquire, the lower their wages, which strips them of financial security and perpetuates the cycle of poverty.

In the long run, those with limited education find it hard to become skilled workers and are unable to keep up with the constantly changing workforce. This can have far-reaching consequences on the country’s productivity and economic opportunities, he said.

One way to tackle the problem is to streamline the education system to make it more flexible for young people to learn outside of the classroom in their own time so they can arrange their studies around their living conditions, said Mr Thosaporn.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

Stay updated with Samui Times by following us on Facebook.