Teens Dropping Out

In the next hour 1,000 teens will drop out of high school in the United States. Collectively 1.2 million U.S. teens will drop out each year; the overwhelming majority of these teens are African American, Latino/a, and Native American. For most teens that never earn a high school diploma, the economic future is grim. These realities are spelled out in a new report issued by the Women’s Law Center.

Contrast that to millions of Ecuadorian teens who do not have the option of dropping in to high school. In this country the school day is cut into thirds to allow kids to work as well as to accommodate the lack of facilities. Some kids take the early shift, some take the midday shift, some take the evening shift. If you don’t have shoes, clothing, transportation, food, book fees, and other basic necessities, you can’t access education.

Why is it that one of the wealthiest country’s in the world and one of the most impoverished countries in the world both cannot adequately educate its youth?

I spoke to a local priest who was running empowerment programs for impoverished Ecuadorians. She needs about $30 per teen to sponsor their education for a year. That’s the average price of a school backpack in the United States. She summed up the problem this way, “We are not poor people. Our country has many riches, and we are hardworking people. We are not poor people, we are a people who have been impoverished.”

The UNFPA would agree with her. According to the UNFPA website:
Since 1999, Ecuador has weathered one of the worst economic crises in its history. The country has been dollarised, privatized and decentralized. The continuing erosion of the economy has affected the country’s capacity to govern. High turnover of top officials in key ministries, such as for public health, education and social welfare has led to further problems. Economic disparities between rich and poor have deepened, increasing poverty levels. In 2005, about half of the entire population was struggling on two dollars a day, while 20 per cent were surviving on one dollar a day or less.

Nearly half the population of Ecuador is under the age of 20. One major barrier to education is the high rate of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Over the last five years, the HIV infection rate has increased by 224%, according to the UNFPA.

In Ecuador, access to sex education and reproductive health services is clearly understood as an economic issue. The government has passed progressive laws and initiatives aimed at increasing access to reproductive health care as an anti-poverty measure. Sex education and reproductive health care is carefully framed in a way that increases local demand for these services. “We have managed to increase the basic knowledge of women and men regarding their fertility and how they can have safe births with healthier children,” said Dr. Muenala, a UNFPA-funded program leader. “Because we are not preaching fertility regulation and the use of contraceptives alone, these traditional communities are much more receptive to our messages and services.”