Like a dynamite

The youth is our future. And by entrusting them our future, they need to educate themselves so they can be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to build a better future. But what if these youth do not want or can not go to school? Why they don’t want or can’t go to school? What are we going to do to encourage them the beauty of learning? What can we do to make them see the importance of education?

However, there’s a definite line between youth who do not want to go to school and can not go to school. These two should be discussed separately.

Many reasons could be attributed to why youth do not want to go to school anymore. Such reasons include the family orientation of the youth. If the youth’s family shows lack of interest in the academic performance of the youth, then the youth will also exhibit lack of interest in his studies thinking that studying is useless since no one cares to show interest in what he/she does. In addition, if his/her family does not care neither support him/her in his/her academic endeavors, he/she might as well not care nor bother to surpass his academic endeavors.

Moreover, peer pressure can affect the youth’s interest in studying. If his/her friends are people whose interests in studies have been shelved away, he/she has the high tendency to shelf away his/her academic interest. A fine example would be if his/her friends is influencing him/her in a wrong way such as cutting classes, vandalizing and destroying school properties, doing vices and illegal drugs. In this example, there is a big possibility that he/she will disown his/her dreams of finishing his/her studies and will resort to doing illegal things instead.

On the other hand, youth who can not go to school is hindered by financial problems. It is one of the major problems among poor young people. Instead of going to school, the youth will help his/her parents in earning money to feed their family. Their way of thinking is this: will I prioritize my own desire of studying when my family is dying from hunger? This urge them to not to go to school anymore though there is the interest in education and they will go to school if money will permit them.

Another factor is teenage pregnancy. Since the number of youth engaging in premarital sex today increases, the rate of teenage girls getting pregnant also increases. This affects their studies. Instead of going to school and learning, they will engage themselves in caring and earning money for their family. Such problem is getting worse as days go by.

Environmental influences can be a reason for both situations. Those who do not want to go to school can be influenced by his/her environment in such a way that his/her environment has low or worst, no value in education. The second situation, environment can be a factor when the youth is living in a remote area and the access to school is very hard or when there’s a military problem going in that particular place (which is present in Abra and in most places in Mindanao).

Youth who do not want to go to school anymore should be given orientation about the importance of education. It would be best if not only the youth will be given but their families as well. Education is not only a two-way process where in the only students and teachers are involved. But it includes the family as well because not all the time the teachers can watch and guide the students.

For the youth who can not go to school because of financial problems, it is nice if they would be given inspiration talks that poverty is not a hindrance in pursuing their dreams and goals in life. Furthermore, the government should allocate budget in building schools and classrooms in remote areas so that the youth there will have no problem accessing education. In addition, the government should give enough funds in giving the youth the best educational materials in every school. These include visual materials, libraries, and computers. Equally important is the right ratio of the teachers to students. Indeed, quality education not only comes from the facilities of the school but also to the educators who holds the key in the learning process of the students.