The Me into An Us

Abstract

From the moment you breathe our air, you are pre-assigned into an ascribed lottery, whether you like it or not. You may bathe in riches, enjoy the privilege, and have easy, early access to necessities and beyond. Alternatively, you may be bound by geographical, ethnic, and other stratified factors and be part of a less-advantaged community. It is naturally relatable to the latter scenario as the former accounts for a ridiculous minority of our society today, which paints the picture. When we are destined to start that way, are we bound to end up this way? Drawn from an objective perspective, the pinpoint of LEDC youth is a catalyst for congregating efforts towards ameliorating unfairness. What is fixed can’t be denied, but the screws can be unscrewed; it is just a matter of how many are willing to cooperate. In this piece, educational access and enhancements are to be highlighted.

Cement

It is undeniable that educational quality is directly proportional to affordability. There is a death spiral where poverty begets education and education begets poverty. One major systemic hurdle would be the government-tax-funded levied on property estates. The cycle results in affluent regions being able to motivate educators with higher salaries and fringe benefits, equip students with extensive facilities, and offer them a holistic learning environment. Without sufficient funding, the underprivileged fail to gain basic educational access. Even with national funding, rural schools and schools in urban slums are chronically underfunded. They lack basic facilities like electricity, clean water, and sanitation, suffer from severe teacher shortages, and the teachers they do have may be underqualified or unpaid for long periods, further lowering motivation for quality teaching.
Such qualities include limited skill development, especially in critical thinking and digital literacy, in today’s fast-paced digitisation universe. This, in turn, impedes access to higher education, as students from these backgrounds are naturally less competitive than wealthier candidates. Hence, as adults, they gain less income to nurture future generations, repeating the cycle.

But the crux of it all is what perpetuates the seemingly inevitable. This cycle is prominent and erodes the aspiration of youth, our future. As this system consistently fails them, they lose all hope for success, halting any possible progress.

Actionable Approach

The key to breaking the cycle is to first revive hope within said communities. Peer-to-peer tutoring fosters ice-breaking and ameliorates the lack of individual care in impoverished classrooms. Senior or capable students can offer a helping hand on campus, after school, or personally, that targets the need. The more the community encourages this behaviour, the better the effect of restoring hope, injecting the idea that the community is capable of self-sustaining and supporting. The peer advantage also shows when they are similar in age to be socially empathetic, possibly resonating with one another and making education accessible and approachable. This all starts with the youth, where they have to act and take the first step to embed themselves within the community. They, in turn, also get to develop a sense of leadership and confidence, preparing themselves for future occupations, and the cycle repeats.
With said confidence acquired, the youth can take a further step and attempt to voice out their difficulties on the streets to the world with more initiative. They should gather factual evidence and appeal to the public by empathy, raising awareness on the local and specific matter. Each voice counts; through peaceful campaigns, governments are forced to act on the dire situation. NGOs may also be alarmed to support the education access in LEDCs. This direct approach prompts policy changes and sheds light on the community that they have the right to demand quality education.
Readers need to realise that the aforementioned initiatives are interconnected. A student who received peer support may be encouraged to contribute to the system, offering peer-to-peer tutoring once capable. They may also be aware of the abysmal reality and take action, joining peaceful campaigns to voice their community’s needs.

It’s NOT Over

Are things looking bright for the financially disadvantaged? It would be a lie to say yes. But is all hope lost? With the congregation and joined efforts as mentioned, nothing is impossible. The arduous part is awakening the spirit of the broken, letting them know that there is a way out of the remnants. I hereby urge that those involved or not speak forth of the real-time events to allow the oblivious to visualise the needs of LEDCs.