Education gives freedom and humanity

Depriving people of education deprives them of a large part of their humanity. Think for a moment of the joy of creativity, the joy of self reliance and growth, the joy of free time, the pleasure of being relaxed, the time to read a book, or the gratification of seeing a profound piece of art, the delight of doing something simply because it is fun. Contemplate for a moment how you feel during the few precious hours a day when you do not have to work, or weekends and vacation time when you are off. Now think of freedom, the freedom not to have to do certain things, behave in certain ways, wear certain clothing, marry certain people, or work at certain jobs because they are the only jobs available or are the only ones for which you are qualified. As you contemplate, remember also that you do not have to work sixteen hours a day just to provide a subsistence meal of grain for your family each day.

What is one of the primary factors that gives you this freedom? It is education. Education leads to a higher standard of living so you do not have to spend all of your energy and time merely trying to find food and shelter. As our founder, Mike Graglia, states so eloquently, "How does a person struggling to eat develop his personality? Hold onto her culture? Maintain his dignity? He or she doesn't, and that is why education is requisite in ensuring one's human rights." Because of the culture most of us grew up in, where education is valued enough not only to be freely available but required to a certain age, we know of the rights we possess. Consciously or unconsciously, we exercise them every day. People born into communities who do not have the right to an education are the people in those advertisements of far off places that we view on television and read about when charities solicit contributions – the emaciated, the ragged, and the ones with the look of hopelessness in their eyes.

Education is a human right in and of itself

Every country that is a signatory to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights gives recognition to the moral and legal fact that education is a human right. It is a right no more or less valuable than the other rights set forth by the United Nations in 1949. Below is a list of the 6 Economic, Social and Political Rights:

• right to work
• right to equal pay for equal work
• right to education
• right to standard of living adequate for health and well-being
• right to rest and leisure
• right to participate in cultural life of communities

Education is an enabling human right

The right to an education is, however, unique from the other rights listed in that it is a tool to create the means necessary to obtain all the other rights. There is international consensus that education is the single most vital element in combating poverty, empowering women, promoting human rights and democracy, protecting the environment, and controlling population growth. One would not know one had the right of recognition before the law, the right to freedom of thought and peaceful assembly, the right not to be discriminated against because of gender or religion, and other rights if one were not educated in the knowledge of these rights or, on the contrary, told the opposite by local and national leaders. There would be no way to know that, even if one’s government does not recognize these rights, the wider world does recognize them. In such a situation, one might have an inkling that a better life should be available, but without concrete knowledge of it, one would be less likely to stand up for individual rights because of the fear that no one would listen or that such a position would engender persecution. Furthermore, working from sunrise to sunset digging a mine or pounding millet into edible form because of a lack of an education that could lead to a better job that would pay a living wage does not leave time to pursue one's rights.

All human rights, including education, help alleviate the world's problems

We can see from the above that education is a necessary and important right in so far as it advances human rights in general, but why else are human rights important? As Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, states, "Human rights are what reason requires and conscience demands. They are us and we are them. Human rights are rights that any person has as a human being. We are all human beings: we are all deserving of human rights. One cannot be true without the other." We can all feel the truthfulness of this statement in our core. Now, more than ever, people are recognizing that the vast majority of the world's problems stem from the violation of peoples' rights at the most basic level, making them feel helpless. That feeling of helplessness then turns into anger, and in desperate situations, into violence. Not only can education alleviate some of the inequities of this world, but education also helps people sustain their humanity and fosters respect for the humanity of others. Stated simply, making education available to all with emphasis on women will help alleviate many of the world's problems, especially things such has overpopulation from high birth rates and high childhood mortality rates. For example, in Brazil, illiterate women have an average of 6.5 children while those with a secondary education have an average of 2.5.

Education leads to a higher standard of living, and the truth is that people do not resent others who have more if they themselves believe they are given a realistic chance to acquire the same things. For the sake of both individual and global development, children around the world need to understand the concept of rights, to know the rights to which they are entitled, to be able to empathize with those whose rights have been denied, and thus to be empowered to take action on behalf of themselves and others.

Conclusion