Quality Education

I recently went for a MUN (Model UN) and got excited about quality education. Here is an article about quality education based on what I learned.

Defining Quality Education

Quality education is all-rounded education that gives importance to all students and their interests. It refers to education infrastructure that provides for:

Equal and affordable education for all.
Access to free pre-primary education for all.
Each student’s needs by employing an adequate number of qualified teachers.
A curriculum that is detailed, accurate, and helpful in later life.
Various options for vocational training or higher education, both of which are important for specialized jobs.
A curriculum that ensures equal opportunities in later life.
Teaching methodology that teaches you how to think, not what to think.

Importance of Quality Education

The primary purpose of quality education is to increase the financial success of the receiver.

Quality education is the key to a prosperous, active society, fostering progress through innovation, thus ending stagnation.
Education is a powerful tool for molding society to achieve lofty goals. While it should be and is typically used for economic and social upliftment, unscrupulous politicians can exploit it for personal gain. This can be seen through the reign of Gaddafi in Libya, where he used education as an effective means of propaganda to firmly establish his rule.

Implementing Quality Education

Quality education seems ideal. Here are some practical suggestions for its implementaion.

Increasing the Number of Qualified Teachers

Some ways to increase the number of teachers in schools are:-

Well-established universities with good teachers, could train fresh recruits at teaching colleges.
Universities could arrange internships for teachers at the beginning of their careers to give them the opportunities to learn from the experience of qualified teachers.
Increasing teacher salaries will result in better and more qualified teachers. Those who have invested time and effort in education expect to be duly compensated.
Experienced teachers can consult with budding educational institutions and conduct workshops and seminars, for recruits, thus adding to their income.
Substantial student funding can be made available upon the condition that students give back to the system by first attending a training course for teachers and then doing a mandatory teaching stint in schools or colleges.

Increasing the Number of Scholarships

Scholarships are very important because too many people cannot afford higher education or do not want to spend on it. So, how do we increase the amount of scholarships?

The government can promote government jobs by offering scholarships to students, whose parents work for the government.
The government can give scholarships to people working in industries producing high-return exports.
- For example: Some Gulf Coastal Countries, (GCCs) and parts of Africa, export large amounts of fossil fuel. The government can arrange for workers in fossil fuel industries scholarships as this is a high-return export and they make a lot of profit. An employee can apply with a proof of job with a private company and they will get a scholarship.
Also, if a parent is working in a government-run school or college, their child should get a scholarship as a part of the job offer. This scholarship will be larger than the scholarship for government office jobs.
People working in hazardous departments like the fire department, police department, etc can receive scholarships as well. This may result in a larger scholarship than office jobs.

Role of UN in Quality Education

Quality education can be interpreted by people differently around the world. The UN must ensure that the definition is universal. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) must help achieve these 6 points:

Cost-effectively structure the planning of schools. This will give countries a basic outline to follow.
Help developing countries fund implementation of the structured plans, financially, as well as through educational laws.
- Trade Incentive: If a country wants to trade with a developing country, they must invest some money into a quality educational trust fund for that country.
- UN Education Trust Fund: Portions of this fund will be given to countries with a small Educational Trust Fund, as a loan.
- Donation incentives: Give the country with the most money invested in other quality educational trust funds, without trade one free trade partner.
Help students with disabilities.
- Tax deductions: Reduce the tax for multinationals who invest in the educational trust fund of the country.
- Tutors: Multinationals that arrange for qualified tutors in developing countries will get a tax deduction.
- Educational Outreach Programs: Government schools can have outreach programs that come to houses signed up with disabled children so that teachers will be sent weekly to these houses, to ensure basic education for all.
Having financial aid for students that come from poor backgrounds is important to increase their chances of financial success.
- Basic Educational Trust Fund: This fund will be funded by people. It will be used to ensure that students from poorer backgrounds will get the money for education.
Check that exams and textbooks meet minimal global standards that foster tolerance and inclusive thinking
Increase access to universities by adding infrastructure and teacher support to existing universities and opening new ones to match growing demand.

Social Impacts of Quality Education

Social impacts of quality education have not always been good.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, USA was an attempt at quality education. However, it resulted in catastrophic results, like teachers changing the answers on S.A.T.s to make sure students passed.

In some places the impact of quality education has been good. In several European countries, people have managed to get their literacy rate to 100%, by investing in private school outlets in rural areas and improving the quality of the public education system.

Education is one of the major factors in keeping a fair society.

Quality education will help, growth, innovation, creativity, and prosperity. On the other hand, quality education policies without good execution do more harm than good.

One way to improve the quality of education is to promote it so that it becomes an integral part of society. Then, people will want a better education and students will be more interested in education pushing schools to find better teachers and pushing teachers to take the initiative to teach better.

Quality of Education Around the World

Quality of Education in Argentina

Literacy rate: 99.51%
Preschool to post-graduate education is completely free
Ranked 29 in education around the globe
Years in school: preschool + 12 years + tertiary education
Length of an academic year: Approximately 200 days
Government school hours: 4.5 hrs
No. of mandatory years of school: 10 years

Quality of Education in Bahrain

Literacy rate: 90.98%
Preschool to college education is completely free
Ranked 106 in education around the globe
Years in school: preschool + 12 years + tertiary education
Length of an academic year: Approximately 200 days
Government school hours: 4 - 7hrs
Number of mandatory years of school: 8 years

Quality of Education in China

Literacy rate: 99.83%
Primary & Secondary education is completely free
Ranked 24 in education around the globe
Years in school: preschool + 12 years + tertiary education
Length of an academic year: Approximately 200 days
Government school hours: 9hrs
Number of mandatory years of school: 9 years

Quality of Education in Denmark

Literacy rate: 99%
Preschool to Secondary education is completely free
Ranked 10 in education around the globe
Years in school: preschool + 12 years + tertiary education
Length of an academic year: Approximately 200 days
Government school hours: 7hrs
Number of mandatory years of school: 10 years

Quality of Education in Bahrain

Literacy rate: 90.98%
Preschool to college education is completely free
Ranked 106 in education around the globe
Years in school: preschool + 12 years + tertiary education
Length of an academic year: Approximately 200 days
Government school hours: 4 - 7hrs
Number of mandatory years of school: 8 years

Quality of Education in China

Literacy rate: 99.83%
Primary & Secondary education is completely free
Ranked 24 in education around the globe
Years in school: preschool + 12 years + tertiary education
Length of an academic year: Approximately 200 days
Government school hours: 9hrs
Number of mandatory years of school: 9 years

Quality of Education in Denmark

Literacy rate: 99%
Preschool to Secondary education is completely free
Ranked 10 in education around the globe
Years in school: preschool + 12 years + tertiary education
Length of an academic year: Approximately 200 days
Government school hours: 7hrs
Number of mandatory years of school: 10 years

Quality of Education in Denmark

Literacy rate: 99%
Preschool to Secondary education is completely free
Ranked 11 in education around the globe
Years in school: preschool + 12 years + tertiary education
Length of an academic year: Approximately 200 days
Government school hours: 7hrs
Number of mandatory years of school: 10 years