In
economics.... we call it the multiplier effect... that's how I choose to
perceive the impact of education on our economy. A citizenry's level of
Education even at basic level is exponentially highly associated with its level
of economic development even in GDP terms. Low literacy levels for any populace
is highly linked with a country's poverty and underdevelopment. Why? In a
nation that has high literacy levels, basic development interventions are
easily adapted and implemented in all sectors that impact on or are highly
indicators of overall economic development. Think of health interventions for
example, a low literacy population would not easily adapt to health education
messages for instance prevention of common communicable or even
non-communicable disease like: malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, cholera or even
HIV with implications on the burden of health costs.
A country
with low literacy levels among a majority of its population will therefore have
to dig deeper into its national budget to cover health costs albeit on some
infections and disease that can be prevented and mitigated easily in a high
literacy populace. Similarly the same applies to agricultural interventions as
well as interventions on environmental management linked to monitoring and
checks on climate change and global warming among some. Deforestation and other
aspects of environmental degradation are highly associated with poor literacy
levels within a population anywhere in the world since such a population can
hardly appreciate linkages for example between deforestation or even lack of environmental
management through conservation agriculture for example and mitigating climate
change.
Basic
interventions in agriculture for instance maximization of yields through modern
farming techniques and appropriate technologies can only be better appreciated
and sustained in a populace with better literacy levels compared to one with
such low levels. Even democratic principles such as human rights and
responsibilities can better be appreciated by a literate citizenry in majority
terms. That does not preclude demographic indicators of family planning and
overpopulation management that can only be appreciated by a literate populace
in majority terms with all these outcomes impacting on a nation's economic
development in the final analysis.
Logically therefore, Education is key to
economic development of any nation and it does not come as a surprise anywhere
in the world whether in Africa, Asia or Europe or the Americas that countries
with above average literacy levels in their populaces have better economies in
GDP terms a majority being middle or high income nations. What does this mean
for Malawi? Malawi has for long been ranked lowly in economic development terms
and is among the poorest nations if not poorest nation in the world. This is
despite enjoying peace and stability since independence some 50 or so years
ago.
It is
paradoxical to be poor amidst a plethora of resources begging the million
dollar question as to where our efforts are not met or rather where we miss the
point as a nation? My argument as logically summed up in the forgoing is that of
the missing puzzle in Education for our nation. The low literacy levels for a
majority of the population in the country go a long way in compromising all
sectors of development including the economy. If we were to invest highly in
the education sector for our nation, for our children not only in quantities
(access) but above all else quality or standards - in equity of access across
the nation, we could go a long way in harnessing multiplier effect outcomes for
overall economic development of our nation. Education again is key and perhaps
the missing link in our vicious cycles of poverty and underdevelopment not only
for Malawi in particular but Africa in general.
BY
MARISEN
‘MAESTRO’ MWALE
