Education and Literacy Rates and Their Role in Poverty

1091 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of poverty on education

This letter is to request the federal government to take action on poverty within Canada. Poverty can be seen as an epidemic across our country that greatly affects the under-educated population, as well as significant other populations. Without sufficient amounts of education many individuals are not capable of earning an income that is high enough to subside their everyday expenses. Many individuals struggle just to afford the basic and proper necessities of life. Education and literacy rates within Canada are seemingly and adequately high, but too many Canadians also possess the lowest levels of numeracy and literacy. Not all individuals’ complete high school and obtain their diploma, adequate amounts drop out. For those individuals whom wish to pursue post-secondary education, many cannot afford it, and well paying jobs in Canada, on the most part, require higher levels of education, rather than just a high school diploma. Individuals who are already affected by poverty tend to not do so well in school. These are reasons why education and literacy rates play a great role in poverty.
Many individuals that attend high school tend to drop out. There are various reasons as to why they do so. These reasons vary from wrong decisions made by the individuals to the families and communities they come from (Ciuffetelli Parker, 2012). There is an 8 percent national high school drop out rate (Canadian Council on Social Development, 2007). All though the national drop out rate is significantly low, the percentage of individuals that drop out differ by province; there are higher drop out rates in the northern provinces and less in southern provinces. A significant amount of minimum wage jobs require at least a high school diploma, but if i...

... middle of paper ...

...r. These individuals will no doubt, tend to be more prone to suffer poor health conditions. Individuals with higher levels of education have better access to better health services and are better able to get their children ready for school in comparison to individuals with lower education (Second Report on the Health of Canadians, 1999). This is how education and literacy rates are related to the social determinants of health.
Bringing this together, both insufficient education and literacy play hand in hand with one another in burdening individuals with poverty. These individuals do not wish to suffer from poverty, but they have no choice. They do not possess sufficient education in order to have a well paying job. Without a good job, their health is at jeopardy of being badly impacted. This is why education and literacy can heavily play a major role in poverty.

Show More
Related

  • Youth Voter Turnout in Canada

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    de Broucker, Patrice. 2005b. Without a Paddle: What to do About Canada's Young Drop-Outs. CPRN Research Report. Ottawa: Canadian Policy Research Networks. October.

    Read More

  • We Must Reduce the Drop-Out Rates for Aboriginal People

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many different reasons why students decide to drop out of school, according to Stats Canada “Young men continue to have higher dropout rates then young women. In 2009/2010, 10.3% of young men and 6.6% of young women had dropped out of high school.” (Gilmore, 2010) Men have a higher rate of dropping out of school because they tend to want to work and make money rather than getting their education. Men are better known to not be that involved in school as much as women would and if they have the opportunities to have a job without their education they would opt to do that instead of staying in school because they would rather be making money then getting their education. They may feel that work is more of a priority and that making money is more important. Young women have different reasons than young men to why they may opt to drop out of school. “Young women were more likely to drop out because of personal or family reasons, such as pregnancy or having a young child at home.” (Gilmore, 2010)

    Read More

  • The College Dropout Boom Analysis

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Leonhardt, many people who drop out usually plan to go back eventually to get their degrees, but very few actually do. According to “Access to Attainment”, approximately 65% of all job openings will require postsecondary education by the year 2020 and “many of the long-standing programs and policies designed to foster access no longer supports the needs of today’s students” (Miller, et al. 5). The availability of higher education to the public has greatly changed over time, and thus the system and the programs must adapt as well to continue providing the best access and opportunities possible to individuals. “….a college education matters much more now than it once did” (Leonhardt). Lower-class students coming from low-income high schools might not have the same opportunities for learning as their upper-class counterparts, and as a result they are less likely to be accepted to elite universities. The education system is beneficial for many but it is flawed as well, especially in preparing high schoolers for college, which has the potential to greatly impact their

    Read More

  • The Need to Address Poverty in Canada

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty is a serious issue in Canada needs to be addressed promptly. Poverty is not simply about the lack of money an individual has; it is much more than that. The World Bank Organization defines poverty by stating that, “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time”. In Canada, 14.9 percent of Canada’s population has low income as Statistics Canada reports, which is roughly about two million of Canadians in poverty or on the verge of poverty. In addition, according to an UNICEF survey, 13.3 percent of Canadian children live in poverty. If the government had started to provide efficient support to help decrease the rates of poverty, this would not have been such a significant issue in Canada. Even though the issue of poverty has always been affecting countries regardless of the efforts being made to fight against it, the government of Canada still needs to take charge and try to bring the percentage of poverty down to ensure that Canada is a suitable place to live. Therefore, due to the lack of support and social assistance from the government, poverty has drastically increased in Canada.

    Read More

  • Why is there so much poverty in the United States?

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    The question “Why is there so much poverty in the United States?” has such a broad spectrum of issues. There is no simple cure or single cause of poverty. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, “the 2011 Poverty Guidelines are $10,890 for a single member household and $22,350 for a family of four” (par 13). In addition, “families’ incomes that fall below the threshold given, means that every individual in the household are considered to be in poverty” (par 13). Poverty is too complex an issue to be the result of just one problem, but we can narrow down the subject, to show the effects of how the lack of education can diminish our countries resources and how that has a ripple effect on future generations. Without an education, people receive lower pay; there is an increased rate of crime, and a higher reliance on state and federal aid, which is draining economically.

    Read More

  • Social Determinants Of Health Essay

    2035 Words  | 5 Pages

    Social determinants of health has been a large topic for many years and can have a positive and negative effect on individuals, families and communities. (World Health Organisation, 2009) The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices. Social determinants have many factors and in this essay education will be the main social determinant of health discussed and how this could have an impact on the physical and mental sides of health.

    Read More

  • Poverty in Canada

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty in Canada is rising and it needs to stop now! According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development or the OECD the poverty rate in Canada has been on a steady rise in the mid 1900’s until the late 2000’s. The two most affected types of people are children at 38 percent and aboriginal or First Nations people at 11 percent. The rest of the population stands at 4.3 percent on the scale of poverty in Canada said Food Banks Canada. There are tons of reasons why poverty is rising and why people are living in poverty, like drug or alcohol addiction. There are many more reasons why the poverty rates are so high, a recent poll indicated that 51 percent of people living in poverty are not in control of the reason why they are poverty, 11 percent of people do not know why or unsure of why people live in poverty and 37 percent of people say that people living in poverty aren’t doing enough to help themselves. There are also a lot of ways to help stop poverty or help the people who are living in poverty, for example make a video about it and help make people aware that poverty in constantly around them. Another way to help people living in poverty is by volunteering at a food bank like the Salvation Army. Poverty is all over the world but as Canadians we are concerned and should help make a change and stop the rise of poverty in Canada. (Tapscott & Officer)

    Read More

  • Why Students Shouldn't Dropout of High School Before 18 Years of Age

    594 Words  | 2 Pages

    Students’ wouldn’t be able to hold down a job is the second reason they shouldn’t dropout of high school. Many employers would like to have someone who has been too high school and that have been educated so they can handle money and add things p...

    Read More

  • Poverty and Classism

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the main causes of poverty is the lack of education. The U.S. education system denies students in poverty the opportunities and access it affords to most other students. Without good education, most people would encounter challenges in finding income-generating work, especially when there are few employment opportunities during an economic downturn.

    Read More

  • Poverty and Education in America

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    Education has been historically considered as an equalizer of society in America, allowing the opportunity for even the disadvantaged to reach success. Race was once the strongest factor in determining future achievement, but today Stanford Sociologist, Sean F. Reardon, says income level has become more consequential (Tavernise). President Barack Obama was one of the lucky few able to overcome the obstacles he faced growing up being both African American and underprivileged, but most children are not as lucky (Rampton , Nawaguna). In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, the Lacks family lived in poverty and struggled to perform well in school, resulting in many of them dropping out even before high school (Skloot). The success gap between high and low income students in the U.S. has increased significantly in recent years (McGlynn). The educational achievement of students is significantly affected by their home life, and those living in poverty are much more likely to fall behind academically than children coming from affluent families.

    Read More

  • Education: The Most Important Influence On Health

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today, in the contemporary United States, there are many different influencers to a person’s health, such as poverty and/or unemployment. However, education is the most important influence on health because without a good, thorough education, people are less likely to have access to health care, be able to afford health care and they are more likely to live shorter lives. A lack of education makes poverty and unemployment more likely, which obviously have a negative effect on a person’s health.

    Read More

  • How Education Impacts your Health

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    People with more education have better physical and mental health; also education helps improve the overall quality of people’s lives. By helping people get better jobs, it reduces financial worries. It builds self-esteem, feeling of being in control; it also makes them critically aware of media messages about health. It contributes to health behaviors, such as moderate drinking, anti-smoking, according to the Institute of education at the University of London (Dec. 2004). As stated earlier, education reduces inequalities, creates intolerance, build social cohesion and boost the health of whole communities.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Lack of Education and Poverty

    1912 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poverty affects a child both physically and mentally. Lack of education limits job selection and success. It also encourages the cycle of poverty. By providing education, both of these factors can be resolved. Help should go to all children- not just the ones that are prominently featured.

    Read More

  • Factors of the Correlation Between Poverty and Having Finished Secondary Education

    2450 Words  | 5 Pages

    This report analyses social and economic factors such as, risk of poverty, employment rate and population completed at least upper secondary education. In this report you can find summary of the data, descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis, which shows that poverty has a small negative relationship with employment rate and negative relationship with education. Thus, this means if countries would increase employment rate and increase number of people who finish secondary education they would be able to reduce poverty level in the countries.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On School Drop Out Of High School

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    Teens today face a lot of pressure. Many students deal with difficult life situations that hinder them from focusing on their futures. This can lead to a loss of interest in school and school events, such as a sports, clubs, or after school programs. Teens start to prioritize other things over their education. Every year, over 1.2 million students will leave school without earning a high school diploma in the United States alone (“11”). That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day (“11”). The United States, which used to have the highest graduation rates of any country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries (“11”). Students may not realize that by dropping out of high school they are more likely to commit crimes, become parents at a young age, use and abuse alcohol and drugs, and live in poverty (“Drop”). Dropouts make up the majority of those

    Read More

More about Education and Literacy Rates and Their Role in Poverty

Open Document