 Education for all - promoting life-long learning |
Issue 157 |
"Lack of education is as serious as lack of food; the illiterate person is a starved spirit"
Pope Paul VI Populorum Progressio, 35
School is Cool
There are many people who do not enjoy school. There can be several reasons for this. It may be too difficult or not interesting enough. There may be many other things you would rather be doing. But what if there was no school for you to attend? Would it be a classic case of not missing something until it was gone?
There are many people who live this as a daily reality. There is no option to attend school even if they wanted to. Children in countries around the world, and even some from remote areas of Australia do not have the luxury of attending school on a daily basis.
The classroom or the crops?
Millennium Development Goal 2 focuses on achieving universal primary education. As Pope Paul VI stated in Populorum Progressio: "Lack of education is as serious as lack of food". Sometimes going to school seems like a chore. There may be many other things we would rather do than sit in a classroom day after day. But if there was no chance to go to school, if education finished when you were eight, if lack of education prevented you from obtaining a job and gaining access to money, would you think differently?
Education is something that many people who have access to, take for granted, and those who don't, dream about it. It is essential to realise that education opens the door to opportunities. Education IS as vital as food.
Swapping crops for exercise books
Y Re is from Kontum in the Central Highlands of Vietnam where she lives with her husband and extended family. Like many other ethnic minority women Y Re received a low level of education, leaving school when she was ten years old to work in the fields with her family. She now lives with her husband and extended family on an area of land where they grow rice, corn and cassava to eat and sell.
Y Re is a member of the Kontum Women's Union Credit Program. She participates in workshops that help the women manage their finances, and learn basic book-keeping skills to learn how to calculate, save and spend their money efficiently.
The credit program allows women to take small loans which can be used to buy animals, seeds or resources. This encourages the women to become financially independent and improves their quality of life. Y Re bought ten piglets for $83 which she fattened and sold for $418 repaying her loan and using the money to buy more pigs. With this new source of income, Y Re and her husband hope to grow more crops and one day send their children to school so that they can gain an education and learn how to read, write and do basic mathematics in order to assert themselves and avoid being taken advantage of in the marketplace.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
- "Lack of education is as serious as lack of food".
a) How does this statement make you feel?
b) Do you agree with it in your own life?
c) How would you feel if you did not have access to education?
- "It is essential to realise that education opens the door to opportunities."
What does this mean? What kind of opportunities can education provide? List some examples in your own life.
- Week 5 of Project Compassion is the second last week to raise money to help other people. At a school assembly, or in class, announce your school's total donations and refocus for the final week to try and dig a little deeper to help as many people as you can.
- Solidarity means "loving our neighbour" no matter what their nationality, culture or religion. How could you show solidarity to people in your school community, sporting community, or local community?
- Pope Paul VI's encyclical Populorum Progressio - On the Development of Peoples was written 40 years ago. One of its main messages is that we all have a role to play in empowering people to break free from poverty and be "architects of their own progress." A key statement from Populorum Progressio has been linked to each of the Project Compassion stories.
Go to Secondary Worksheet 3 pdf
Complete the questions on how this encyclical links to Project Compassion and the story of Y Re. - Go to 40 day virtual vigil
Look through the 'Live Simply Vigil'. Assign a day of the vigil to each student and read the daily prayer and reflection. Present your prayer on A3 paper and display it around the school.
HSIE/SOSE
- Pope Paul VI's encyclical Populorum Progressio - On the Development of Peoples was written 40 years ago. One of its main messages is that we all have a role to play in empowering people to break free from poverty and be "architects of their own progress". A key statement from Populorum Progressio has been linked to each of the Project Compassion stories.
Go to Secondary Worksheet 3 pdf
Complete the questions on how this encyclical links to Project Compassion and the story of Y Re.
- Go to Secondary Worksheet 6 pdf
After reading the article on Y Re, complete the questions.
- Go to Cyber School Bus Website
Read about Vietnam, its location, finances and people.
Mathematics
- Now that it is Week 5 of Project Compassion, check in with your school to see how much money you have raised so far, then go to What Your Money Could Do and see where your money could go. Present your findings on a poster titled "So far our school could provide..." and display them around the school.
CIVICS
- Go to Photo Story
View the power point presentation on Populorum Progressio. Read the extracts from people from around the world and select one of the people. Write out the quote provided next to the person and list how the quote makes you feel and how it affects people and their lives.
PD/H/PE
- Education allows people to discover how important it is to remain healthy, to eat a balanced diet, and to look after themselves.
Go to Secondary Worksheet 6 pdf
Read Y Re's story. How has her change of lifestyle allowed her to increase her level of health and diet?
ENGLISH
- Write a recount looking back on your years at Primary School. Mention the teachers you had, experiences you remember and things you learnt. Write an overall summary explaining how your time in Primary School has helped you grow as a person and helped you to learn new skills.
PARISH/COMMUNITY/SOCIAL JUSTICE GROUPS
- Go to Secondary Worksheet 6 pdf
Read about Y Re in Vietnam. Discuss with your group the importance of life long learning. How does access to education provide opportunities and choice?
- Go to WayOfTheCrossNew.ppt
View the power point presentation with your group. Use it as the basis for a prayer service looking back on your 2007 Lenten journey.
- Go to Secondary Worksheet 6 pdf
Use the Prayers of the Faithful for Week 5.
- Go to 40 day virtual vigil
Look through the 'Live Simply Vigil'. This may provide a prayer source useful as Lent comes to an end.