Issues in the News

Issues in the News

(Author’s name)

(Institutional Affiliation)

Issues in the News

It has been argued that the first decade of the twenty first century presents numerous challenges for the world society. Among some of these challenges are both the collective and individual demands on states, cities, and nations to improve their communities through training and educating their increasing numbers of individuals who are generally referred to as ‘low- class’ or the ‘underclass’, individuals who have been largely marginalized when it comes to the provision of basic training and education. I have realized from a number of publications and articles in the news that the old pedagogies and processes used to reduce and minimize poverty have not been effective enough in producing the desired results. I, hence, realized that without anymore, effective deliberate interventions, most of our societies with large numbers of these marginalized individuals will continue being at risk.

To complement my concerns about the issue, I, then, chose an article that addressed the same issue, among others, to try and sensitize my community about the issue. The article in question is by H. Manthoto Lephoto, and V. Mantina Mohasi which was published in 2009 in the Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. The article is called Collaboration of stakeholders as an expanded learner support system for a distance learner: the case of Institute of Extra Mural Studies. The reasons why I chose to talk about this article are many. One of the main ones, however, was because of the fact that social problems and poverty continue to threaten our societies despite significant commitments of effort and resources at both national and local levels. The reason why I think that illiteracy of the less fortunate a=individuals is connected to the persistence of the issues is because of the risk the increasing number of illiterate individuals is continually putting our society because of the decreasing number of individuals with sufficient skills and knowledge to contribute to the global economy.

The second reason why I think this article is of importance is because of the social, ethical and human rights implications it has on our society. The authors of the article indicate that the distance learning for adult is not being funded any more by the government because the government deems that the programs are not included in the priority list for the programs funded by the government. This has numerous implications on the affected individuals. The low- class or the underclass, as they are often called, do not have sufficient financial support for them to cover the extra costs that come with distant learning, as most of them live in remote villages and far away from their schools. As a result, it becomes difficult for them to access school because they are unable to rent housing facilities near their schools, or even afford technologies that can give them access to class materials.

This denies them their right to learn and get some basic education, which, to me, is a violation of their human rights. It is not right for an individual to miss education just because they are poor, and the society should not marginalize these individuals just because they cannot afford the money to reside near their schools or attend classes. The article is extremely personal for me because I believe that everyone has a right to access education, no matter what their social status is. This is a contra indication for this class, since it is an educational class. It should be a challenge for both this education class and for the society, as well as, the government. This is so because it opens a window for improvement through research and implementation of the findings of the research. The class should come up with recommendations of how this issue can be addressed. The government and the society, on the other hand, can take up these recommendations and work on them to ensure that adults who are poor or unprivileged should not fail to obtain basic education because they are poor. Also, we should realize that as educators we have the responsibility to our students and to the society to ensure that we bring change to our communities through the provision of education and training for a better tomorrow.

Reference

Lephoto, H. M. & Mohasi, V. M. (2009). Collaboration of stakeholders as an expanded learner support system for a distance learner: the case of institute of Extra Mural Studies. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 10 (4). Retrieved from http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde36/articles/article_2.htm

Response to the Articles

The first article is by Matthew Jonathan Mundy and it is about the increasing number of homeless education in the US and especially Los Angeles. The author argues that numbers of students without home at the school are on the rise, and that this has become a significant challenge for them when it comes to attaining meaningful education. What the author of this article points out is that these students are living in homeless shelters that do not offer them the appropriate technological environment for them to accomplish their studies. He points out that, this is a problem for them as they cannot complete assignments without the technology. What he recommends is that educators take the responsibility to give these students accommodation that is favorable for them to study efficiently; he also advices students who are homeless to take up only the courses that they can adequately study for at their present environments (Mundy). I agree with the author of this article when he says that nobody should be left behind and that everyone has the right to obtain education. I also agree that education legislators must treat the issue of providing the marginalized with education.

The second article is by Latoya Simmons who talks about education of individuals with multiple disabilities. She argues that education for students with disabilities has been improving for the past few years, through advancements in technology and education. She states that education of the disabled before the 1960s was limited because of lack of the appropriate technology. I agree with her on this point because it is true that education for the disabled students has been improving. At our school, for example, there are numerous programs and technologies for individuals with disabilities that have enabled them to attain education (Simmons).

The third article is by Graham Nott which is about reverse redlining, discrimination and for- profit education. This article talks a lot about fraud and profit making in educational institutions. What becomes apparent in the article, and what I agree with mostly, is that regulations, ethics, and laws must be implemented and followed in educational institutes just like in any other organizations to prevent some individuals from taking advantage of others (Nott). From the fourth article, it is clear that the society has shown our female veterans their back by not acknowledging them or taking care of them as they have their male counterparts. Cassandra Countryman indicates, and I also think, that it is inappropriate and unconventional to let these women suffer as they do while the government and the society watches. These women must be well taken care of and observed after they serve to ensure that they are fine psychologically (Countryman).

References

Countryman, C. Traumatized Female Vets Faces Uphill Battle. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/female-veterans-traumatized-war-fight-battle-va-healthcare/story?id=9979866

Mundy, M. J. High and Dry: Homeless Education in Los Angeles and the United States. USC Digital Library. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assetserver/controller/item/etd-Mundy-20080417.pdf

 Nott, G. Reverse Redlining, Discrimination, and For-Profit Education. Retrieved from http://www.theojc.org/media/scott salmon graduation journal news may 15.pdf

Simmons, L. Severe and Education of individuals With Multiple Disabilities – Definition and Types of Severe and Multiple Disabilities. Retrieved from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2415/Severe-Multiple-Disabilities-Education-individuals-With.html