GGH3702 PORTFOLIO 01 final EXAM 2022. QUESTION 1
“Low educational attainment contributes to poverty”. Debate the validity of this
statement and provide reasons why you agree with it or not agree. Support your
response with literature. In your opinion, suggest how your municipality can help
...
“Low educational attainment contributes to poverty”. Debate the validity of this
statement and provide reasons why you agree with it or not agree. Support your
response with literature. In your opinion, suggest how your municipality can help
individuals in your community with regards to improving education, training and
innovation.
INTRODUCTION
In recent times, educational attainment has been viewed as one of the primary weapon
against poverty. However, a number of scholars have highlighted that there are two
types of educational attainment which are low and high. It is argued that low educational
attainment contributes to poverty whereas high educational attainment eradicates
poverty, it is against this background, this essay is based upon so that it can really
justify that low educational attainment can indeed contribute to poverty. Another section
of the essay will address how my local authority can improve education, training and
innovation as way of dealing away with the effects of low educational attainment.
Defining key terms
Poverty has different connotations for various people, making it a contentious subject.
Lack of income, hunger, and malnutrition, poor health, increased disease and mortality
from illness, homelessness and other basic services are all indicators of poverty. In an
attempt to conceptualize poverty, there is a universally accepted principle called the
poverty datum line (Deaton, 2005) The poverty line is the minimum level of income that
is considered to be adequate in any given country.
Understanding Low educational attainment
For one to understand the term, it has to be broken down, United States Census Bureau
define educational attainment as a term used by statisticians to refer to the highest
degree of education an individual has completed. This therefore implies that low
educational attainment is below average education completion of an individual.
, Literature supporting the claim that low educational attainment contributes to
poverty
One notable fact regarding low educational attainment is that it is likely to contribute to
poverty. A large body of research is that there is direct linear relationship between
education and earnings. It should be noted that once in employment, those with higher
educational merits earn considerably more than the less educated. Generally, a large
body of literature shows that educational attainment and poverty are inversely related.
This means the higher the level of education the lesser will be the number of poor
individuals and the lower the levels of education, the poorer the individuals become.
This is so because education impacts knowledge and skills which is supportive in higher
wages (UNDP, 2003). Having established this literature, it is agreeable to support the
claim that low educational attainment contributes to poverty.
Low educational attainment can be said to contribute to poverty when taken in context
of female education. According to Chicoine (2012) High educational attainment can
reduce fertility rate which is also a catalyst to poverty. Several researches have proven
time and again that educated women earn more money thus there are high chances of
raising their children effectively. Women with high educational attainment are more likely
to have improved maternal and child’s health which gives women physical capacity to
give birth and reduce necessity for more children which contributes to an economic
strain. According to Pop-Eleches (2010) educated women adopt birth control methods
more often than uneducated women. This implies that women with little education have
a high fertility rate which creates an imbalance in the households of the lowly educated
women thereby reducing the amount of resources each child might consume resulting in
poor health, malnutrition and school drop outs which are major indicators of poverty. In
this regard, it is justifiable to argue that low educational attainment contributes to
poverty.
Furthermore, low educational attainment causes population explosion which might
contribute to poverty. World Bank report (2012) argues that lack of education for women
in Africa contributes to poverty. Poverty increases if women do not receive education. It
is reported in some parts of Africa, there are still barbaric practices such as placing
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller DoctorReinhad. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $3.20. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
