Before this class I had never heard about photovoice and the idea of it seemed fun, and fairly easy. Answering the question “what is education?” with pictures taken on a disposable camera proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be. Here are some of the pictures I took in my attempt to define education.

This image captures my stereotypical view of what education is: studying, reading, writing and researching. Though it is all of those things, it is also a lot more and can look a lot differently. I have become aware of this Western idea of education and how Western societies often attempt to force their ways upon others. I hadn’t thought of this much before, but this class has made me aware of my bias to Western education. Realizing that my view of education is highly shaped by my experiences in the Western education system has allowed me to be careful when thinking about other’s education systems; it has widened my perspective.

This is my roommate’s naked cat, also known as “Chicken.” People’s first reaction to him is usually, “Eww” or, “What is that thing, it is SO ugly!” On the outside he looks different, but when it comes down to it he’s just like any other cat. He is happy cat, but because he looks different people hardly see him as a cat. People often stop outside of our house and take pictures if he’s sitting in the window, and I think in the same way this is how we look at education systems that are different from ours. People love to scrutinize and pinpoint all the things that are wrong with things that are different. I think we often forget to stop to think that maybe they like the system they have or maybe it works for them.

I got this idea after watching the documentary “Schooling The World.” I’m glad we watched this film because it made me realize that education can be different, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. As one of the elders in the film pointed out, her grandchildren that go to the university know nothing; this is because to her education looks like knowing how to grow your own food, make your own clothes, and know your own cultural practices [1].

This photo was my attempt at showing education as empowerment, one of the first words that comes to my mind when I try and define education. Here is a quote that I think captures what I mean by this fairly well:

“Education is described as an empowerment right with a multiplying effect in the sense that the enjoyment of a number of other rights, such as freedom of information and the right to vote, depends on a minimum level of education. […] Education is of cardinal importance for meaningful human existence; it enables a person to fully participate and function in society. It allows individuals to develop to whole and mature personalities, and it empowers them to fulfill a role in the community that is enriching for themselves and is beneficial for their community”[2].

Education is also collaboration; we learn from others, with others and are able to share opinions and experiences. Learning with other people is crucial.

At the same time, I think education happens on an individual level. When we are alone and think, we are reflecting. We can learn things from our own experiences and make judgements based on our own thoughts.

This photo was my attempt to show that education can be a waste of resources. Sometimes I feel like I might as well be throwing money into the trash because I am paying so much money and the classes aren’t always worth it. We pour so much money into the system, but where does its actually go?!

So that I don’t end this post on a negative note, I think education is also a key part of life. We learn every day and it helps shape us into the individuals that we are and how we live our life.

Overall this has been a great class (and project) that had made me question my own bias and think more critically about what education is.

1. Black, Carol. Schooling the World:The White Man’s Last Burden. 2010. Film

2. Akinbola, Bukola R. “The Right to Inclusive Education in Nigeria : Meeting the Needs and Challenges of Children with Disabilities.” African Human Rights Law Journal. 10.2 (2010). Print. p. 471

The international community has largely been focusing on achieving universal education, shown through agendas like the Millennium Development Goals and Education For All. These are important goals but the national community has started to realize that numbers are not all that matters. There has been a push for equity, quality, and ways of implementing education that consider the local community and culture.

However, reading the World Education Blog (WEB) has made me realize there is not enough focus on one of the key elements in implementing education: teachers.

Education in schools is impossible without them, but instead of focusing on how we (as a universal community) can recruit and retain enough well trained educators, we are focused on getting the kids into the schools. I feel like this is backwards; what is the point of having a bunch of children in school if there are not enough teachers for all of them?

Currently, there is a huge need for professional and well-supported teachers for both primary and secondary schools [1].  One WEB article by Pauline Rose highlights that if we are going to achieve universal primary education by 2015, we will need an extra 1.6 million teachers, a number that is only going to continue to grow as the population does.

If we want our children to receive (quality) education we need to start with our teachers.

Another WEB article by Sunny Varkey suggests the importance of respect for teachers [2]. I think that the international community needs to work to improve the poor reputations and status of teachers across the globe. The stigma currently surrounding teaching professions only further discourages people from becoming educators. Even in America I have had several people say to me, “Don’t be a teacher, you can do better than that” which sends the message that being a teacher is not to be valued.

Nobody wants to hold a position that isn’t valued. As UNESCO said many years ago, “It should be recognized that the proper status of teachers and due public regard for the profession of teaching are of major importance” [3]. If a culture or the community looks down upon being a teacher, people are less likely to pursue the profession and the shortage of teachers will continue.

Along the same lines, there is a need to increase incentives for teachers. If they are valued they are more likely to consider the profession, but higher salaries, greater benefits and better resources will help retain them.  As another WEB article points out, research shows that when teachers are paid more, their students learn more [4]. Increasing scholarships and training centers for teachers will encourage them, and in places were gender equity is an issue, attracting female teachers can help this disparity [5].

Though getting children in school is important, we first need to focus on our teachers. Without quality training, incentives, resources, and respect from the community, the number of teachers will not keep up with the population. We need to improve and reinforce the importance of our educators because education without teachers is impossible.

[1] Rose, Pauline. “World Teacher’s Day shines spotlight on global teacher shortage | World Education Blog. World Education Blog. N.p., 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 5. Nov. 2013

<http://efareport.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/world-teachers-day-shines-spotlight-on-global-teacher-shortage/#more-3851>

[2] Varkey, Sunny. “Valuing teachers is about more than their salaries | World Education Blog. World Educaiton Blog. N.p., 14. Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Nove. 2013.

<http://efareport.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/valuing-teachers-is-about-more-than-their-salaries/#more-3909>

[3] UNESCO, Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. UNESCO.Org. 5 Oct 1966

[4] The World Bank: Building Human Capital In Afghanistan

What exactly is knowledge? Is it the ability to prove your point using statistics, or to be able to grow your own food and prepare your own meals? There is no right answer, because knowledge is both of these things and a whole lot more. Education does not just happen in a classroom, and knowledge comes from experiences both in and outside of an institution’s walls.

The documentary Schooling the World (STW) critiques the use of the Western education system around the world. [1.] Whether as a means to end poverty, empower people, or integrate them into a globalized economy, there is no doubt that this implementation of Western education has both positive and negative impacts on these societies.

Though education can present opportunities and equip people with skills they may need, “the right to education is often in opposition to the right to maintain one’s cultural, religious and linguistic tradition.”[2.] We (that is, the west) have created an international education system that does not take into account the surroundings, the opportunities for jobs (or lack thereof), the types of jobs, the socioeconomic status, the religious beliefs, or the cultures in general, of those that are being impacted by the system. This itself defeats the purpose of empowerment because it can lead to useless tools and information while also slowly deteriorating culture.

Along with these new schools comes the religions and language of the West. As shown in the documentary STW, students in Ladkh are being forced to pray “The Lord’s Prayer” though they are traditionally a Buddhist society. Why should they be forced to learn something that is not a part of their culture, and not necessarily something they believe? They shouldn’t, but because the West has the power and means to educate and influence, those on the receiving end are subject to the creator’s perspectives.

On the same subject, English has become the main language and in some cases the only language to be used in schools. This may not necessarily be a bad thing as English is one of the most common languages in the world. However, punishing a child with a fine because they are speaking their native tongue suggests that anything but English is wrong. This sends the disrespectful and untrue message that their culture and native tongue is not as admirable as those of the West.

As the new generation leaves home in order to go to school and find jobs that integrate them into this globalized society, it has created a generation of discredited elders who see themselves as undereducated and therefore inferior. As demonstrated in STW, the parents and grandparents argue that though their children are becoming educated at school, they can still “know nothing” (referring to the fact that many of them don’t know how to cultivate the land or use their natural resources). These skills may be just as valuable as what they are learning at school, and in some cases maybe they are more important.

It is crucial that we help inform others so long as we take their culture into consideration while doing so. We should be asking them to help us create the type of education system that will work well for their society and culture instead of basing the way we educate them off of ours. I think National Geographic Society’s Wade Davis explained it best during the film when he said, “There is a difference between sharing your ideas than going in and telling people, ‘your way of doing things is wrong.’”

[1.Black, Carol. Schooling the World:The White Man’s Last Burden. 2010. Film.]

¹