Education is the Key to Success.

EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS 

For many children all over the world, 70 million to be more exact, education is one of the many things that is deprived of them. It is because of this, 99.9 percent of these 70 million children will never get a chance to lift themselves out of poverty, resulting in them to be forced to work very hard and time-consuming jobs that pay below minimum wage, and eventually restart the cycle that their parents most probably went through as well. On the other hand, the kids that do have access to education, and make the most of it, their future will be very bright. As you probably already decided, you made the decision that you would definitely want to be in the scenario where you have access to education and can potentially produce a bright future. That is why I believe education is the key to success. Education is a fundamental human right which can help pave the way for more opportunities, and a more happy, successful, and worthwhile life. It should be provided in the most rural parts of a country and have appropriate fees so anyone can participate in developing a better future for themselves and others. Although in some parts of the world, especially rural parts, the number of schools built can be very low, and those school can have very bad infrastructure lowering the standard of education given, however, any education is a good one nevertheless.

Education is a fundamental human right which must be provided by the national government under the decree of the UN. It should be provided in the most rural parts of a country and have appropriate fees so anyone can participate in developing a better future for themselves and others. It is impossible to not think Education is the key to success, and just like Peter Dalglish, a very prominent figure in humanitarian acts said, education is the most important and best thing a child can possess. It has been proven to pave way too long lasting success, a wide array of opportunities and most of all the logic needed to thrive in life. However, all of this does not come easy. If the effort required to acquire these skills is not met, the scenario which I mentioned before is always a possibility. Regardless of this, on the contrary for almost anyone, as long as they are willing to put in the effort a bright future is also a possibility nonetheless.

In life, opportunities are not normally gifted, they are made and in most cases, education contributes to the increase of these opportunities. The reason for this is, education paves the way for people to go to university so they can continue their education but to a harder extent, eventually getting people ready to specialise in a certain skill and become of a high-quality standard. When looking for a job, companies always look for people who have a good education and have gone to university to become a master in the skill they chose to specialise in. Education essentially acts as an enhancement for your future. In addition to that, generally, people who have an education make smarter decisions, especially in times when good decisions are vital.

Have you ever heard of Brain Drain? Well...Brain Drain refers to the emigration of highly trained or qualified people for better living conditions, pay, quality of life and a few other factors, consequently, the country of origin loses these highly skilled people. When these people leave, the country of origin may suffer, particularly in the area of their own development. That is why if there are more people with education, the chances of them leaving will decrease because all the good jobs will have been taken by the increased amounts of skilled workers, forcing them to reside in their country of origin and contribute to their countries development. Essentially, although there is a chance of educated people leaving their own country for a better life, the ones that do stay will indubitably contribute to their countries development as well as theirs, primarily because they will have more opportunities to do so.


Education is not always at someone's doorstep, in fact, in some countries kids have to walk miles just to get to a school whose infrastructure is so bad, they can't gain the full education they deserve. Regardless of this, any education is a good one nonetheless. An example of this is William Kamkwamba. The boy who harnessed the wind was born in Malawi to some not so wealthy farmer parents and resided in a small shack which he had to share with several others. “Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world” - William Kamkwamba said in his book. Magic was a big part of his life until he started his education. However, like many he had to drop out to help his dad in the fields. But that did not pull him down. He went to his local library read a few books and then managed to build a windmill that provided electricity and clean water for his village. There are much more examples like William, ones that have used education to pave the way to a better life, and promote it for the better good of mankind.


Education is the pinnacle of what someone can possess. It probably surpasses money and the many other tempting objects which one could desire. Education acts as a person's key to success, as it can pave the way to a better life. For example, William Kamkwamba, Malala Yousafzai, and the so much more people have used education to escape their past and be able to receive jobs that have allowed them to remain above the poverty line, and live life to its fullest. In fact, education is a fundamental human right which must be provided by the national government. Although it is true in some parts of countries, primarily less developed ones, the amount of schools and the standard of the education decreases, any education is a good one, and just like William Kamkwamba said “Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world” science, one of the many subjects provided in an education can present opportunities to help for the better good of mankind as well as yourself.

Bibliography

• "Education for the 21st Century." UNESCO. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 June 2016.
• "Education." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 June 2016.

The Teenage War Of Independence

Ever heard of the American War of Independence? It was a war fought between the newly emerged United States of America and their parent country, the kingdom of Great Britain. The United States were looking for freedom, to find their own way into the world instead of following the restricting and ‘unpopular’ laws of Great Britain. That war was hundred’s of years ago but in reality, this war is being played out thousands of times a day all around the world. Millions of these versions of the American war of Independence have two sides. Teenagers versus Parents. Wars started by kids who grow to realize that they need their own freedom and independence. Each teenager fighting their own war, for their own Freedom. However these small wars aren’t fought with guns and cannons, these wars are fought with words and emotions.

Parents always wonder why teenagers are always seeking to expand their restrictions and boundaries. These boundaries take on many forms including going out, taking transportation by yourself, social media, spending money, homework times and more. What parents don’t consider is that having more freedom in their life is important. These boundaries take on every part of their lives. The more freedom and different choices they themselves get, the more action they have in shaping their lives they way they want. Their life is theirs after all.

A survey done on a group of 10 teenagers in UWCSEA East campus shows that the majority of the teens said that freedom feels good and makes you feel older. What is revealed for the average teenager is that freedom in all its aspects is intoxicating. An addictive stronger than any other. But there is a reason why teenagers are geared this way. Freedom is the closest thing to being an independent adult. Being a teenager is one step away from being an adult. The way the Teenagers seek independence is to prepare them for an adulthood of complete independence of one’s self. 

It is literally implied in the name Young Adults.

Let's Imagine not being able to do homework just because it is past a certain time. That is normal for students Sam and Ellen Potter. An imprisonment of digital connection when 8:00 passes. Sometimes Sam says “I cannot use the internet for homework, even if my Humanities is due the next day”. He also says that he juggles his social media time, homework time and browsing time to efficiently do what he needs and wants to do when connected online before the daily deadline his parents put in place ends. While this may deem good or bad in the present and the immediate future, the question is how this might affect them in the far future. Forcing them to do their homework early certainly helps them do their homework early and quickly. But letting them manage their own time independently and nurturing a fully grown trust in your teenager, isn’t that the more important path for a maturing Young Adult.

Parents stance on different freedoms also vary, it depends more on the circumstance. UWCSEA student Mie Ovesen says that normally, her father allows her to go out while her mum is more protective. But recently, she was going to a party she wanted to go to but boys are attending. Opinions switched around. Her normally accepting dad replies with a straightforward no while her mum is shouting yes. Parents are always doing what they think is best for their children and circumstance can more then bend the normal boundaries and freedoms in half when the time calls for it. But teenagers should respect their decision as long as it is reasonable. Communication is essential during scenarios like these so that teenagers can talk with their parents on their decision and opinions made clear.

After interviewing some more students from UWCSEA, the topic has been taken into new light. One student says that “they don’t like being controlled”. Another students said “they had a fomo-fear of missing out on everything”. In fact, every student said they are fomos in some degree. Fomo fears tend to happen due to viewing events from posts or “snaps” on social media. Thus teenagers want to join in the fun and events but many teenagers cannot just walk out of the house. They would have restrictions in place that would limit them. Maye having to do homework then, not being able to take a cab to get there let alone being allowed out at all. It would be good for parents to combat this as many teenagers might start to feel jealous of their friends. It is recommended to sit down and talk to them, or take them out yourself.

Another data analysis suggests that teenagers are influenced a lot by music, sport, media and more importantly, friends. Peer pressure is always a big deal in a teenagers life, for anything really. These sources encourage teenagers to seek a variety of different freedoms. The data records that 9 in every 10 people have more than 4 social media accounts for different social websites and that 100% of those with social media accounts were influenced to have those accounts due to friends or the fact that it is a new trend. Influence from many places are important and shaped their lives and the freedoms they get as a maturing young adult. Parents do try to encourage some influences and cut down others but in the end, does it really matter? What parents need to understand is that the teenager’s life is their life. You are their parents and should support them every step of the way but they need to make the big choices and choose their life as a growing young adult. If you cannot trust your teenager to do anything on his/her own without being there to do everything for them, then will you ever be able to trust them even if they are a grown adult?

Which brings me to my last few points. As a parent it is beneficial to help and support your teenager when they need your help. It would be best to organize a system with your teenager on discussing about how they are going in their life and any significant events that happened, etc. You would want to get that connection so that you can discuss about the necessary boundaries needed in the different freedoms you have and effectively form a bond with your teenager. Parents and teenagers each have their own unique system of sharing and freedoms. It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as that connection and sharing is there. It would be better for your teenager to trust you completely and be able to rely on you in any time of need. Once that has happened you can easily discuss the regulations that will be put in place for your teen. but remember, it is always good to slowly give more freedom to them so that they continue to maintain a level of independence and responsibility.

Surprisingly enough, every teenage students interviewed on the survey all generally responded that there should be a couple of restrictions in general. Absolute freedom isn’t all that good. It also depends on the who, as everyone is different. That is most definitely true. Parents need to know that children respect the boundaries put in place on their different aspects of life. Student Fayyaz Ahmed sums up what is on every student’s mind, “I respect those restrictions and respecting the restrictions strengthens my parents trust in me”. All they want in return is recognition to open those boundaries ever so slightly and be able to trust them with new responsibilities and freedoms the more they grow up. Sometimes, a bid for independence doesn’t need to end up in stretched out war, mutual agreements can always be made.