Outside education circles, it may seem that the future of children’s schooling is a difficult one. Over the next 20 years or so, the number of school aged children is likely to remain at the current level of about 152 million in Africa and 212 million in Asia, according to the OECD. However, schooling levels in these regions are still relatively low compared to other countries, and the education that students receive will ultimately have greater consequences for the future prospects of students.
Underpinning the assertion is that good education is the key to unlocking the potential of young people, enabling them to fulfil their potential. Nowadays education can be consumed in different ways, the recent pandemic has shown us how it can now also be done remotely through platforms (https://www.agora.io/en/solutions/education/) that can support students and teachers alike. However, there is still a need for advancement in education throughout the world.
Following the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals, the future of education will change. Not all children will go to school. Some will leave school at age 16, while others will leave school well into their teens. All children will still go to school, but there will be a greater opportunity for them to attend secondary schools and beyond. On the other hand, many children are still unable to attend school because there are no schools in their area or the schools are located far from where the children live. That is why fundraisers for schools are needed so that new schools can be built in the areas where they are required, and the children, at the very least, can have access to a basic level of education.
This is what will be the future of schooling: early childhood education.
For the sake of practicality, let us accept, for the time being, that education of young children, particularly primary school aged children, must continue. While this is the ideal approach, it is not likely to come to pass in every country.
The importance of good early childhood education can be emphasised in the space of just a few minutes. In Canada, for example, a child can be defined as a child with a primary school education if:
he or she has spent the first three years of primary school and has not entered the junior secondary school level at least three months before the child’s 11th birthday.
If, in addition, a child has been absent from school during the school year in the last school year or six months prior to the child’s 11th birthday, then he or she is considered a child with a primary education. It’s like being away from online gaming to come back and find a new online casino. That doesn’t mean you don’t know how online casinos operate…
The logic of early education is to ensure that children are equipped for their future education. Children can learn at school without having to be formally taught.
Early education involves having teachers with some education and experience to teach specific educational tasks. For example, it may be easier to teach children about numbers if they are introduced to counting and learning numbers from an early age.
Successful education policy should acknowledge the role of mothers and their potential influence on the education of young children. Maternal involvement in schooling outcomes is a very important measure. The more mothers display their certificates and degrees with diploma frames, the more motivated their child might be to follow their footsteps. Where mothers attend school, children are more likely to attend school. Where mothers are not attending school, children are less likely to be educated.
However, many children are removed from their mothers at an early age. The principle of being a parent is to care for a child, and it is natural for children to need care and affection from their mothers. For many families, a single mother is not able to provide the required care or affection.