Last week at my internship I was given a project to research educational problems and solutions per the UN's
strategic plan for 2014. I sat down with some materials in my hand
thinking this would be easy research. There have got to be several
policies in place for safety in schools and re-entry programs, adult
education etc, right? Well, no. Much to my surprise there was so much
missing for South Africa's current educational plan. Children face
constant threat going to school every day from their peers and sometimes
even teachers. College level children are not always taught the
importance of equality. And higher education students have little access
to women's studies and gender education. Working at the CGE
has taught me a very important piece of information. Virtually all
racial, gender, violence, ethnicity issues are interconnected to one
another. So that is exactly where my research took me.
Not only was I looking into elementary education and
secondary education, but I researched higher level education, and
re-entry programs for adults or students who left school early for
whatever the reason. Often times the reason though is that girls become
pregnant while high school age and are forced to leave the school system
all together. There were no programs that I could find that helped
pregnant girls get back on their feet and strive for a better life.
There were only NGOs that empowered the women, but did not necessarily set forth any legislation to change the situation.
The whole project showed me how much change is
needed in education for women especially in South Africa. It has given
me a greater appreciation for all the students who are interning in
teaching positions and seeing the vast inequalities that occur.
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