IS EDUCATION THE ONLY WAY TO REMOVE

POVERTY?

For the topic:

 Education and poverty are inversely related. The higher the level of education of the
population, the lesser will be the number of poor persons because education imparts
knowledge and skills which results in higher wages. Increase in income leads to the
fulfilment of basic necessities which raises the living standard which surely means
the fall in human poverty.

 As per various reports and statistics, 171 million people could be lifted out of
extreme poverty if all children left school with just basic reading skills. That’s
equivalent to a 12% drop in poverty in the world total.

 Fewer people, more income. Population control and planned parenting is one of the
key ways to reduce poverty. Good quality education about this will help minimise
the population growth rate which will help to alleviate poverty.

 With each year of schooling, a person’s income increases by 10%. With more
education, one has more opportunities. Investing in education leads to further
development.

 Almost

 Climatic changes results in an increased number of natural disasters which reduces

the agricultural output which could lead to as many as 122 million people into
poverty by 2030. Agriculture contributes 1/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions.
Primary and secondary education can provide future farmers with critical knowledge
about sustainability challenges in agriculture. In this way, education also helps in
saving the planet.

Against the topic:

 The main poverty inducing circumstances are old age, less income-more people,
unemployment, disabilities, etc. and these factors do not disappear with a mere
degree or diploma.
 It depends what one means by education. If one thinks having a Degree or a
Doctorate is going to help one to get rid of poverty, one’s wrong. This is because
degrees and diplomas do not create well paying jobs.
 Having a degree does not necessarily increase the productivity of the person. A
degree is always just a signal to employers that you are a little more qualified than
the others. But more supply of these degrees leads to a decline in their value and
more importantly, a degree is always a signal and not a productivity enhancer.
 Introduction of social welfare schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Midday Meal Schemes in government
schools also helps to alleviate poverty. MGNREGA helps reduce the poverty gap
between the rich and poor by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a
 financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled
manual work.

Summary:

“Education is not a way to escape poverty, but a way of fighting it”

If done right, education inspires the younger minds to visualize a brighter future. Reports
show that intellectual skills have large economic effects on an individuals’ earning and on
national growth. Also, a workers’ productivity depends upon both- years of education and
what has been learnt at schools/colleges. Thus, education has a major effect on poverty
alleviation. It has always proven to benefit girls and women more than boys. This leads to
women empowerment which they receive through education that helps them make better
decisions and also leads to higher self-esteem. By educating the entire population, there is
bound to be a natural effect on economic growth. Education creates more people who are
ready to be a part of the workforce which leads to a decline in the unemployment rates.
Education also has a great impact on the health of people. It spreads awareness and people
are less likely to contract diseases especially HIV/AIDS. Health is an important component
for human capital which increases their productivity thereby increasing the standard of
living.

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Population Data
 Total World 7 Bn
 Total India 1.3 bn (1300 mn. Source 2011 Census of India)
 < 35yrs of age 65%
 < 25 Yrs of age 50%
Household data
 India total number of house holds 245 mn ( 1300 mn / 5.2 family size)

GDP by streams
 GDP growth rate
Education data