For Contemporary Social Issues 2014 Winter term

1. Inaddekwit Ejucayshun(Inadequate Education)
By: Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

2. Why is
Education
important?
 “Education gives us a knowledge of the world around us and
changes it into something better. It develops in us a perspective of
looking at life.”
– Kafoumba Doumbia, 2013
 Education greatly reduces crime, illness and poverty
 Education helps us move forward with new technologies,
increasing efficiency, effectiveness, and providing more
environmentally-friendly alternatives
 Education instills respect and compassion towards people of
other cultures and identities
 Education can solve many social issues we encounter today and
tomorrow
2Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

3. How does
Education
reduce crime?
 A strong education system means that more young adults are
employed, promoting productivity and responsibility
 We can see that education reduces crime by comparing the rate of
incarceration
 A 2003 study thoroughly performed by Lance Lochner (ofWestern
University) and Enrico Moretti (of UCLA), simply stated, found
that “schooling significantly reduces criminal activity”
 Prisons have been re-educating inmates for several years now, as
these institutions have found that an educated prisoner is less
likely to rejoin a life of crime
 A reduction in crime also means saving taxpayer money through a
smaller penitentiary system and requiring less police officers
 Don’t forget the nicer neighbourhoods to live in!
3Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

4. How does
Education
improve
health?
 First of all, anybody in the medical field requires extensive
education in order to be qualified to work on a human being, be it
physical or mental work
 In countries where healthcare isn’t covered, an educated
individual is much more employable, therefore receives income in
order to pay for medical expenses
 An educated individual is also someone who has been influenced
to make better life decisions, such as not picking up smoking or
drugs, and understanding a healthy lifestyle
 “An additional four years of education lowers five-year mortality
by 1.8 percentage points; it also reduces the risk of heart disease
by 2.16 percentage points, and the risk of diabetes by 1.3
percentage points.”
- Les Picker, n.d.
4Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

5. How does
Education
reduce
poverty?
 Poverty is a very expensive problem in developed nations, as there
are many government programs to help unemployed individuals
 Long-term unemployment usually stems from a lack of education
 An educated individual is an employable one, especially as it is
increasingly important to complete high school and post-
secondary education
 The unemployment rate is very high for those who haven’t
graduated high school; it’s much less if they have, and much less
still if they’ve completed a post-secondary study
5Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

6. How does
Education
affect social
behaviour?
 Children who are exposed to public education have the
opportunities to interact and learn how to be more social and
properly communicate
 By interacting with each other through play or classroom
activities, children develop emotional intelligence
 Children will also learn proper mannerisms and how to respond to
authoritative figures, as they are taught to raise their hand to ask
questions or go to the bathroom
6Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

7. How does no
Education
compare to
Home-
schooling and
Public
Education?
 No available education can lead to many problems, such as
poverty and illness, as discussed before
 Students who are enrolled in public education have greater
opportunities than if they were left to educate themselves
 The key in any education is following a structured program
 With no structure or guidance, children often fall far behind
 "Students between the age of five and 10 who were home-
schooled with a structured curriculum surpassed the public school
peers on standardized tests“
- Anderssen, 2012
7Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

8. Is Education
available
equally
between
genders?
 Short answer: definitely not!
 “One in five adults cannot read or write—776 million people
worldwide—the majority of them women.”
– Understanding Social Problems, 2011
 In developing nations and where education is scarce, girls are not
given the same opportunities that boys have
 Although the educational gender gap has decreased, it’s still clear
that girls’ education is undervalued compared to boys’ education
 The gender wage gap, although decreasing, may still also have an
effect on a woman’s outlook on post-secondary education
8Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

9. Is Education
adequate in
third-world
nations?
 Education is far from being available to many people in third world
countries
 There are many barriers that need to be overcome before
everyone has access to basic education
 The greatest barrier the world faces is poverty
 "Even when primary school is technically free, additional charges
for uniforms, textbooks, teacher salaries and school maintenance
create financial barriers“
- United Nations, n.d.
 There are classroom shortages which creates over crowding and
leave most without access to a classroom
9Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

10. Is Education
adequate in
third-world
nations?
(Cont’d)
 When a natural disaster occurs, rebuilding the education sectors is
usually at a very low priority.
 As mentioned previously, gender equality is often a problem in
developing nations.Girl's education is still undervalued.
 Poverty forces young children to seek work when there is family
illness, raised cost of living, a natural disasters happen.
 These jobs are often harmful to their well-being.
10Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

11. How is
Education in
Canada?
 Canada has one of the highest rankings in education
 In 2010, we were in 6th place, behind China, Korea, Finland, Hong
Kong, and Singapore
– CBC News
 Canada is a culturally diverse nation, and education follows this as
there is little discrimination for accepting people of different
cultural backgrounds into our schools
11Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

12. What is the
cost of
education?
 InCanada, elementary schools are paid for through taxes and
funding depending on what sectors you enter in
 Primary school education is free and available to the public
 Secondary schools are in the same respect available in most areas
ofCanada and are free as well
 InCanada the average cost of tuition per semester can range from
$2,243 to about $6,348 as of 2012-2013
- Habib, 2013
 Other expenses include living expenses such as food, rent and
health care if it is not covered. Depending on the location this can
have a larger impact on the total debt of a student
12Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

13. What is the
cost of
education?
(Cont’d)
 Each country has their own education system and they vary
greatly in cost
 For those who are adventurous, there are alternative choices for
post secondary education
 Travelling and learning abroad can not only be inspiring, eye-
opening and fun, but also cheaper and quicker
 "Rachel Ferry... aVirginia resident... is working on an international
relations master's at Durham University in northern England. Her
cost, including living expenses, will be $40,000, and she will be out
of the workforce for only a year"
- Baldwin, 2013
 The cost of education continues to rise and is a growing problem
in Canada and other developed nations
13Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

14. How does
Education
relate to the
Structural-
Functionalist
Perspective?
 Much of this slideshow is dedicated to the Structural-Functionalist
Perspective; a failure in the educational system causes other social
problems
 Cultural diversity also stems from education, as students get many
opportunities to meet with others from different ethnic
backgrounds—also known as Multicultural Education
 Students also learn to respect authority figures, as they are taught
to ask permission when necessary, and understanding that it is
rude to interrupt, and so on
 With a strong education system, various aspects of society will be
strengthened, without causing harm
14Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

15. Conclusion
 According to the Structural-Functionalist Perspective, education is
an integral part of society, and prominent social problems can be
traced back to a failed educational system
 Education can solve social problems from poverty to illness
 In many developing nations, education is still very much
inadequate and unequal
 Even in developed nations, such as Canada and the US, there is
room for improvement to better the educational system, including
lowering costs
 Everyone should have access to proper education!
15Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

16. References
 Anderssen, E. (2012, September 10). Is home-schooling a better
option than public school? -The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/is-home-
schooling-a-better-option-than-public-school/article617266/
 Baldwin,W. (2013, February 28). Paying for College: Lower Cost
Degrees in Europe - Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/baldwin/2013/02/28/lower-cost-
college-degrees-in-europe/
 Canadian education ranked among world's best -Technology &
Science - CBC News. (2010, December 7). Retrieved from
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/canadian-education-ranked-
among-world-s-best-1.940247
 Doumbia, K. (2013,August 18).Why is Education So Important in
Our Life? | EdLab. Retrieved from
http://edlab.tc.columbia.edu/index.php?q=node/9886
16Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh

17. References
(Cont’d)
 Habib, M. (2013, September 11). University tuition rising to record
levels in Canada - Canada - CBC News. Retrieved from
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/university-tuition-rising-to-
record-levels-in-canada-1.1699103
 Lochner, L., & Moretti, E. (2003, October).The Effect of Education
onCrime: Evidence from Prison Inmates,Arrests, and Self-
Reports. Retrieved from
http://emlab.berkeley.edu/~moretti/lm46.pdf
 Mooney, L., Knox, D., & Schacht,C. (2011). Understanding Social
Problems (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:Wadsworth.
 Picker, L. (n.d.).The Effects of Education on Health. Retrieved
from http://www.nber.org/digest/mar07/w12352.html
 United Nations (n.d.). UN Global Education First Initiative – United
Nations Secretary General’s Global Initiative on Education – 1.
Every child in school. Retrieved from
http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/218.htm
17Inaddekwit Ejucayshun | Michael Burnie & Evan Pugh