Conflict Countries are the Last Stop for Educational Funding
One doesn’t have to think long and hard to realize that children who are born into conflict ridden countries are at a disadvantage to those children born into peaceful nations, however the disparity between the two when it comes to education may very well surprise you. Some 500 times more funding goes into the education of children who are born in countries seen as stable and prosperous than that of their counterparts born into a conflict-affected country, according to Save the Children.
For example: The United States spends more than $9,000 per child on primary education annually. In Luxembourg, some $12,000 is spent on each child for primary education a year. These two wealthy and stable nations tower in comparison to conflict countries such as Eritrea or Burundi, who spend less than $24 a year on an individual child’s education.
There are some 37 million children out of school in conflict affected countries, these children are not just denied their individual rights to education, but also denied a chance at a more prosperous future. Children who are denied an education are not given the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty for not only themselves, but also their families and their communities. Additionally countries in which children are denied access to education have increased difficulty braking the chains of violence and conflict.
Wealthy and stable countries, donor countries, have a crucial role to play to help children in conflict-affected nations gain access to an education. It is for this reason that Save the Children released a new report, “Last in Line, Last in School 2008″,which shows how “donors are failing to protect children in conflict-affected fragile states”. The report focuses on the fact that wealthy nations are literally causing a deterioration to the lives of children as they fail to support education in conflict countries.
So how much is really needed of wealthy nations? Is it too much? No, in reality the report boils it down to some $45 per child, as Save the Children estimates that $5.2 billion should support children living in conflict-affected fragile states, out of some $9 billion in basic education worldwide.
The denial of education is the denial of a future of peace and prosperity!