EducationSources.ca
Title
EducationSources.ca - Education Resources and Information.
Description
Languages
English
Additional Information
Sources of Information about Education
Although we like to think of ourselves as a society that cares deeply for children and protects them from harm, children are by no means immune to society's problems. Sometimes, in fact, they face problems that are worse than those faced by most adults.
Children make up the largest group of poor people. Millions of children are growing up in poverty. In the poorest countries, they die in shocking numbers from malnutrition and disease. Children suffer from family breakdown and family violence; some are victims of sexual abuse. Certain environmental hazards, such as lead pollution, are especially harmful to children. Good day care for the children of working parents is in critically short supply.
The school system often fails children. Children from working class and non-white backgrounds are disproportionately streamed into dead-end courses, and are much less likely to make it into university. Many students leave school -- even as high school graduates -- unable, or barely able, to read. Few are really challenged by their schools, few receive encouragement for, or training in, thinking and reading critically.
Education is by no means confined to the school system, nor to children and youth. Indeed, adult education is one of the `growth industries' of our time (and one that is far more environmentally benign than many other `growth industries').
Especially vital are the literacy andEnglish As A Second Language movements. They are tackling crucial problems which are responsible for keeping many Canadians, especially immigrants and the poor, out of the social mainstream. They have been leaders, too, in developing reading materials that actually deal with the lives an problems of the learners, and in involving the learners themselves in helping to create those materials. As a result, such programs have become catalysts for awakening a wider social awareness among people often not reached by other institutions and organizations.
Indeed, education is being seen as an essential element of grassroots development both in Canada and abroad. The guiding idea is that education is not merely concerned with imparting knowledge, but with helping people develop the skills and the confidence to analyse and solve problems and thus to act, both individually and collectively.
We welcome media calls. See our media profile in Sources
Related Domains
External Links
