What Are the Effects of Poverty on Education?

Joel Vergara
2 min readApr 30, 2024

For many people who live inside the cycle of poverty, the effects of poverty on education are quite tangible. Parents may not have received an education, so they place very little value on learning. Chances are good they don’t understand the way education can break the cycle their family has been in for generations. They may feel that the jobs available to locals do not require an education.

What keeps less fortunate children away from school?

Cost of education — In some countries, education is free for children. However, even in these countries, the cost of supplies, uniforms and other needs can be more than a family can afford. This leaves a family unable to give their children access to education.

Water poverty — Lack of water also has a negative effect on education. When children must walk miles each day to find water for their family, they are unable to attend school. There simply isn’t time for both fetching water and education.

Period poverty — When girls don’t have access to menstruation supplies, they are forced to stay home from school. They simply don’t have the items they need to manage their periods safely and hygienically in order to be free from embarrassment and shame.

Lack of transportation — Sometimes transportation is a barrier to education. Kids often need to travel great distances to get to school, and when transportation methods are expensive or difficult to find, that makes education inaccessible.

Child labor — In some areas, child labor is a barrier to education. Parents feel forced to send their children away to work so they can feed their younger children. Sometimes children are abducted without their parents’ permission and forced into child labor.

Click here, to read more about this article.

Click here, to read more blogs in Gospel for Asia.Net

--

--

Joel Vergara

I’m a computer engineering professional with a passion for excellence and success.