Poverty Thesis Statement

Background

According to UNESCO, it is valued that 1.3 billion individuals live on less than US$ 1.25 per day. This number is upward progressively as civil wars, loss of employment, and improvement of societies are establishing newly poor groups (UNESCO, 2013).

Regarding human rights, conference fundamental human needs, and further equitable delivery of wealth are more important for the alleviation of poverty. The United Nations Decade for Poverty Eradication (1997-2006) was a universal endeavor to confront the issue of human degradation caused by abject poverty. In its situation, formal education plays a significant role in the method of poverty alleviation, however, the question arises: 'What can/does education do?'. In today's economy, graduating from high school college-ready and obtaining a postsecondary degree or credential can mean the difference between a lifetime of poverty and a secure economic future. (UNESCO, 2013).

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted in 2000, are the world's quantitative targets for addressing extreme human deprivation in its many dimensions which should be accomplished by 2015. Education is part of this MDG framework as goal number two. There are therefore clear linkages between education and poverty reduction. Education can contribute to sustainable management to improve livelihoods, increase economic security and create income opportunities for the poor. Education that is relevant and purposeful has the power to transform people's lives.

Education for sustainable development has the potential to equip people with skills needed to improve their livelihoods and by building a skilled workforce, education can promote a country from one economic bracket to the next. If all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills, we could eradicate 12% of world poverty (UNESCO 2013) and as such, it is an essential investment.

Skills are the key way in which education reduces poverty. Education makes it more likely for men and women not just to be employed, but to hold jobs that are more secure and provide good working conditions and decent pay. In so doing, education can not only help lift households out of poverty but also guard them against falling back into poverty. And, just as education plays its role in helping alleviate poverty, progress in fighting poverty is inextricably linked with progress in achieving education for all. The direct costs of sending children to school, as well as the indirect costs of losing a source of labor, can be formidable for poor parents, and as a consequence, not only are poor children less likely to enroll in primary school, but those who do so are more likely to drop out. This disadvantage results in children from poor households being over three times more likely to be out of school than children from rich households. Low-quality education reinforces this problem, as parents are less willing to bear those costs if they cannot see the benefits of education and there is no better moment to realize education's role in helping households escape poverty than today (UNESCO 2013).

This paper seeks to find out the relationship between education and poverty alleviation with a specific focus on Kenya as a case study using acknowledged literature and experiences from the Kenyan education institutions/scene as narrated by the authors. The authors wish to bring out the fact that there is a link between education and poverty alleviation. Education has been confirmed to work in many situations and there is empirical evidence in the literature on the same, but in Kenya, this link seems to be missing. This relationship in some instances does not seem to bear the required fruits and sometimes its outcomes have been blurred. For example, in Kenya poverty levels remain high. From the HDR report of 2013, Kenya is ranked at 145 which was the same as the rank of 2012, with an HDI of 0.519 which has been rated as low human development (UNDP, 2013).

This is a clear indication that despite the efforts that have been put in place to increase the rate of access to education and with over ten years of free primary school education (FPE), this is not translating to poverty reduction measures as would be expected and millions continue to suffer and live below the poverty line. We will be seeking to answer the question; what is the missing link and why? Why isn't this high rate of school enrolment especially from FPE not translating to economic growth and empowerment or poverty reduction? What went wrong, where and why?

According to Somalia More than 1 in 3 people in rural Somalia and more than 1 in 4 people in urban Somalia are living in poverty. The amount of money required for a household to meet its basic needs is estimated at 207,300 Shillings per adult per month in urban Somalia and 180,900 Shillings per adult per month in rural Somalia. Households living on less than this are counted as poor, which results in a poverty headcount of 37.0% in rural Somalia and 29.7% in urban Somalia.

Statement of the problem

Low Levels of educational enrolment, particularly for primary education, are very low—the lowest in the region and one of the lowest in the world—suggesting that unless action is taken otherwise the literacy rate in Somalia will continue to be very low. Only one in two primary school-aged children is enrolled in primary school, While the secondary school enrollment in urban areas fares on par with the regional average, rural areas have 12 percentage points lower attendance compared to urban Somalia.

Weiss, & Miller, 2001). Education may directly influence rural agricultural productivity via one or more of the routes described above (Weir, 1999). Education may increase the probability of success in each of these endeavors and, in so doing, diversify household income sources to reduce risk and improve economic security. Since farming is the primary activity in rural Iran, this paper will focus on the part played by education in poverty reduction (Aref, 2011). World Bank studies also demonstrate education raises the production of farmers (Hegtvedt-Willson, 1984).

A rural community cannot foster development without educated people. Businesses, large or small, are unlikely to choose to invest in rural areas if skilled or trainable human resources are unavailable. Similarly, a community cannot retain educated people without an attractive economic environment (Atchoarena & Gasperini, 2003). Education in rural development can support and uphold local culture, tradition, knowledge, and skill, and create pride in community heritage (Lacy, Battig, Moore, & Noakes, 2002).

The paper stresses that education in rural areas in Hargeisa is the foundation for poverty reduction. Although education has economic and non-economic benefits to educated individuals and society as a whole, this study intended to focus on the aspect of the economic benefit of education to rural areas for poverty reduction. It reviews some critical issues that are related to education in the context of poverty reduction in Hargeisa. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the perceived contributions of formal education to poverty reduction.

Purpose of the study

Following are the specific objectives of this study

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Place Order

1. To identify the role of formal education in poverty alleviation.
2. To identify if formal education is a viable way of eradicating poverty

Research question

The following were the research questions that guided the study

1. What is the role of formal education in poverty alleviation?
2. Is formal education a viable way of poverty alleviation?

Significance of the study

This current study will help the government in order to recognize the importance of education and above all to solve the problems related to education, the study also will help NGOs who are deeply interested in these issues, this present study also will help every international and intergovernmental organization including United Nations who have different plans in order to tackle every challenge related on education, particularly formal education, finally, the study will help other researchers who want to do another study that concern on this issues.

Scope of the Research

This study has both geographical and time scope which will be:

Geographical scope

The geographical scope of this study is Hargeisa, Somalia.

Time scope

The time scope of this study is September 2019 to December 2019.

Operational Definition

Although words may take different meanings, the definitions given below are proposed to be understood as the purpose of this study.

Formal: is something standard and it's opposite informal.

Education is the system or the way to teach or learn knowledge.

Poverty: is the state that a person can’t afford basic needs.

Alleviation: is the process of eradicating the problem that exists.

Overview of methodology

The study used the mixed-method approach to generate more complete data and provide a better understanding of the research problem. It was conducted at Daffodil International University. To determine the role of formal education in poverty alleviation a survey was conducted via email and interview in the survey a questionnaire was used to collect data from the students. In the questionnaire, closed-ended questions were asked from the target population.

Organization of the Thesis

The study contains five chapters. Chapter one presents the introduction and background of the study, statement of the problem, research objectives, purpose of the study, objectives of the study, research questions, Significance of the study, scope of the study, definition of key terms, conceptual framework, and organization of the study. Chapter two presents a literature review that consists of the introduction of the chapter, the concept role of formal education and its impacts on poverty reduction theories related to the study, the conceptual framework, and a summary of the study. Chapter three provides the research design and methods. Chapter Four provides data presentation, analysis, and discussion. Chapter Five discusses the summary, conclusion, and recommendations of the study. The last part of the document provides a list of references.

For this thesis paper, I have dedicated my mother Xawa Abdi Maxamud for her love and sisters for the reward and reputation who helped me with everlasting support morally and materially from the beginning to the end of our research. similarly dedicated to the implementation of this thesis worked with me.