Do I HAVE to go to school?
Many feel pressured into leaving school to go to work or to help out at home instead of completing their education, but it seems that the long-term benefits of learning on our health and job prospects far outweigh the short-term advantages of not going to school…
Quality Education is the subject of the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, meaning that everyone, everywhere has to aim to secure lifelong learning opportunities for all(*5). But why is education actually so important? Does it really matter if children don’t go to school?
All the research suggests that education really does have a big impact on people’s quality of life, especially concerning their health and future job prospects.
There is a strong negative correlation between a person’s level of education and their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, of experiencing child marriage and early childbirth(*2), and of suffering from depression(*3). In other words, the higher the level of education a person completes, the lower their risk of suffering from health problems and related issues.
The longer someone stays in school, the more they learn about how to effectively take care of themselves and their family, by recognising the symptoms of health issues and responding appropriately. Those whose highest level of education is below upper secondary are twice as likely to suffer from depression than those with a higher level of education, according to data collected by the OECD(*3). Furthermore, 3 million of the 6.6 million avoidable deaths of children under the age of 5 in 2012 could have been prevented if all the mothers of those children had completed secondary education(*7).
While these figures demonstrate how important it is for people to spend a long time in school, it must also be recognised that learning from an early age is key. 90% of a child’s brain development occurs before the age of 5(*8), and so it’s essential for children to play and explore during their very first years for maximum benefits later on in life.
In terms of employment prospects, there is a clear positive correlation between level of education and indicators of a successful career path. The percentage of people aged 25-64 in employment differs radically depending on their level of education: 56.7% for people whose level of education is primary school, 75% for those who have studied up to secondary level, and 84.3% for those who have completed further education(*4).
Furthermore, education not only helps a person to find a job, but also to obtain a well-paid one. In general, the higher the level of education a person has, the higher their earnings: the percentage of people whose level of education is below upper secondary who earn the average wage is only 3%(*3), and girls who do not complete secondary education earn, on average, 25% less than their secondary-educated counterparts(*2).
The different stages of education teach very different skills, which is why each is essential: primary education equips children with the basic literacy and numeracy skills that they need for the next step; secondary education begins to develop a person’s work-related skills(*1) and offers the chance to learn about technology(*6), which is essential in today’s world; tertiary education provides detailed vocational and practical skills for work. All three are needed to adequately prepare a person for a skilled job once they complete their schooling.
Additionally, research suggests that investors are more likely to invest in countries where a high percentage of the population is secondary-educated, as completion of secondary education is a strong indicator of a skilled work force(*6), meaning that teaching children to a high level contributes to the economy of the country where they live.
Overall, the clear pattern is that education provides us with essential long-term advantages. In many places in the world, it can be difficult for families to ensure that their children stay in education all the way up to tertiary level, despite the risks associated with children not going to school. That’s why it’s so important for our global community to pave the way for everyone to have access to a great school, and for all families to be able to afford to give their children the time to learn.
References (marked in the text with an asterisk (*) and numeral):
1: Jacob, W. J. and Lehner, S. (2011) EQUIP2 State-of-the-Art Knowledge in Education: Secondary Education
https://www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/EQUIP2%20SOAK%20-%20Secondary%20Education.pdf
[Accessed on 19/05/2018]
2: NAWO (2016) The Fundamental Importance of Secondary Education for Young Women and Girls
https://nawo.org.uk/secondary-edu-ywg/
[Accessed on 19/05/2018]
3: OECD (2017), Education at a Glance 2017: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2017-en
4: OECD (2018), Employment by education level (indicator). doi: 10.1787/26f676c7-en
(Accessed on 21 May 2018)
5: Sustainable Development Goals (2018) Goal 4
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/
[Accessed on 18/05/2018]
6: The Importance of Investing in Secondary Education
[Accessed on 19/05/2018]
7: Theirworld (2016) Health and Education Convergence
https://theirworld.org/explainers/health-and-education-convergence
[Accessed on 19/05/2018]
8: Theirworld (2018) Just 1% of early childhood development aid goes to pre-primary education
https://theirworld.org/news/just-1-percent-of-early-childhood-development-aid-goes-to-education
[Accessed on 21/05/2018]