Report
Introduction
Education is extremely important, which is why we have to go to school. Although going to school is compulsory for kids under the age of 16 years of age, there are many kids that aren’t able to get a good education due to poverty. A lot of people think that poverty is only a problem in developing countries, but it is also a problem in New Zealand. Close to 157,000 children live in poverty in New Zealand. These children's education outcomes are highly affected by poverty. We need to help these kids, so they can get a good education for a better future. This inquiry looks at what should be done to improve education outcomes for people in poverty. My thesis is that donations and funds should be created to provide access to education opportunities for people in poverty.
How many people live in poverty in New Zealand?
Poverty is bigger than most people think in New Zealand. According to New Zealand council of cristian social services, about one in seven households experience poverty, which is quite a lot of people. This includes people not being able to buy food, and living in small, chilly, damp homes. According to statistics from 2016, 15% of the population is estimated to live in poverty, down from 22% in 2004 and 9% in the 1980s.
How many children are affected by poverty in New Zealand?
Child poverty is a significant issue in New Zealand. It has affected more than 20 percent of children. In June 2021, 13.6 percent of children were living in homes with less than half the median equivalised disposable household income before subtracting housing costs. Almost twice as many Maori and Pacific children experience poverty compared to New Zealand European children. New Zealand children that live in poverty aren’t able to buy good food, they have less education materials, and aren’t able to pay for other things like sports and uniforms.
For Maori and Pacific children, housing quality difficulties are especially pronounced. In the year 2018–19, 13% of Maori children and 20% of Pacific children were in homes with serious mould or moisture issues. This contrasts with 4% for Asian children and 5% for European children.
How does poverty affect education?
Poverty in New Zealand is still one of the biggest reasons why some kids aren’t doing well in school. Poverty can affect people's education in many different ways. Kids cannot learn when they are hungry and live in cold, damp homes, NZEI have also been stating this for a long time. Poverty is a big disadvantage for children because they can't afford to pay for school supplies like stationary, uniform, and devices.
Technology is used in schools everyday. In most high schools students are required to have their own device to work on. That is because it helps students to learn better, and it's much easier carrying a laptop in your bag then lots of books and other stationery. But not all schools think about the people that live in poverty. People in poverty might not be able to afford a good device which is a big disadvantage. The schools need to do something about this, they need to help people in poverty so they can have a better education.
How does lack of education affect an individual and New Zealand?
Lack of education highly affects an individual in many ways. Lack of education can have a negative impact on the population and nation. The main effects of lack of education are poverty, unemployment, and poor economy. These things can negatively affect a nation. Not having a good education puts a person at risk of being in poverty in the future. That is because less educated people are more likely to be in low paying jobs. Poor education can also have a negative impact on the population and nation. When people leave schools without learning the fundamentals can significantly affect the economic growth of the nation.
What have other countries done to improve the education outcomes of people in poverty?
Some countries are already trying to help kids in poverty. Many countries like Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden offer people free or really cheap education. Which is great because then even people in poverty will be able to get a better education without having to pay a lot of money. This will also encourage poor families to send their kids to school so they can be educated.
Something that many schools in countries like Sweden, Finland, India and many other countries do is give out free lunches to children at schools. This is a great thing because even NZEI has been stating that children cannot learn when they are hungry. Many kids in poverty aren't able to buy enough food and if schools start giving free lunches to those children, they won't have to starve all day. More schools should do this so more children are fed.
What are some possible solutions?
Something needs to be done about this problem. Some solutions for this problem are donating, funding, schools keeping stock of supplies, decreasing cost of education, spreading awareness. These solutions could help thousands of children to get a better education in New Zealand.
Funding and donating money is a good way to solve this problem. This is a good solution because it has no negatives. People and companies should be able to give money that will go towards kids in need of a better education. Poverty can easily be solved by the help of other people.
Schools should keep stock of school supplies. Schools should provide supplies to kids that can't afford to buy school supplies. Schools should have a separate stock of items that students need. Which would only be for giving out to poor students for free or for really cheap. This solution could work but some schools might not be able to buy lots of things because they might not have enough money.
Decreasing the cost of education could help lots of people in poverty. Education can be expensive in some countries, and it can be hard for people in poverty to get a good education with not enough money. If education was cheaper a lot more kids would be attending school. Although decreasing the cost of education would help, many countries might not be able to make education cheaper.
More awareness needs to be spread around New Zealand. Some people might think that poverty isn’t a big problem in New Zealand but that certainly isn’t true. Poverty in New Zealand isn’t really noticed enough by the citizens of New Zealand. If more awareness about poverty is spread, a lot more people would actually care, and might want to help. Poverty can be solved by the help of other people, and spreading awareness could make that possible.
What is the best solution?
The best solution for this problem is funding and donating. These are the best solutions because for example, If there are two thousand students in a school and all of them donated five dollars to their school that's already ten thousand dollars in donations. Companies and different businesses could fund schools as well to help. With that money the school would be able to provide for poor children. Most people shouldn’t have a problem with donating a tiny amount of money that could help kids in poverty to get a better education. Every school in New Zealand should have a day where they ask their students and their families if they would like to donate money to help kids in poverty.
Conclusion
In conclusion, donations and funds should be created to provide access to education opportunities for people in poverty. There are many kids in New Zealand who aren’t able to get a good education because of poverty. We need to do something about this problem, we must do something to help these children. Education is really important, therefore everyone should be able to access it equally. If we want to make a difference in society, we must take action now.
Bibliography
Works Cited
17, Laura T
Updated August, and Written by
Laura T
Laura is a former staff writer for TopUniversities.com. “Where Can You Study Abroad for Free?” Top Universities, www.topuniversities.com/student-info/studying-abroad/where-can-you-study-abroad-free#:~:text=Nordic nations Denmark, Finland, Iceland,of study level or nationality.
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