If the world were a perfect place for children, education would be universal and free in every country around the world.  But our world is imperfect, and when governments are unable or unwilling to pay for education for its citizens, unless parents figure out how to pay for their child’s education, their children won’t be educated.  This is primarily why 57 million primary-aged children are not enrolled in school. ‍

Many parents are acutely aware of the importance of education for future quality of life because their own education was lacking and they want something better for their children. For parents who accept the challenge of funding their child’s education, economic sacrifices must be made.  According to the World Bank, “User payments can take different forms. School fees may cover teachers' and administrators' salaries, materials such as pencils and textbooks, and school maintenance. Or parents may make payments in kind, for example, providing food for the teachers, assisting in the classroom, or contributing their labor for school construction or maintenance.”

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It makes sense that the supply and demand of education is in constant flux. Often the scenario of high demand for education is met with a low supply of qualified teachers, resources, and infrastructure.  But just as often, demand for education may be low - why?  Because of the costs associated with education.  Consider that poor families can’t afford the luxury of prioritizing education because their economic resources must go to fulfill their most basic needs - food and shelter. That reality often means that children play a role in contributing to the family income, making them unavailable to be in school.  We can not afford to assume that making education accessible is enough to improve enrollment, when other factors higher on the priority list must be met first. 

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The world needs innovative ways to increase the demand for education by providing an additional return on investment for sending a child to school.  For example, implementing a nutrition program at school that provides up to two meals a day - perhaps the only meals a child may receive - in addition to learning to read and write. Improving school facilities and the quality of education being taught increases the perceived value of education by families, and utilizing technology to provide qualified teachers remotely through online school programs where teacher scarcity is the leading problem. Back-door solutions like these may increase enrollment significantly in communities that struggle with basic necessities.  

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Global Pathways works ardently to increase the demand for quality education by finding innovative solutions to support existing schools because the world we want to live in allows every child a quality education. 

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