Poverty Myth #1

Home > Know the Issues > Poverty Myths > Poverty Myth #1

FACT: Illiterate Parents Value Education

How often have we heard that illiterate parents in poor countries have little interest in sending their children to school? Policy makers often lament that unless the mind-sets of such families are changed, there is little hope of making primary education universal. This gives the impression that poor and illiterate parents do not recognize the importance of schooling for their children.

This is simply not true. Most parents all over the world, however poor, attach great significance to their children's education. According to the PROBE survey conducted recently in the most educationally under-resourced states of India, almost 98% of parents felt that it was important for a boy to be educated. The response for girls, quite expectedly and disturbingly, was somewhat lower - 89% - but it was still high. The survey results underscore the fact that parental indifference is not a true obstacle to education in the developing world, but rather, a convenient excuse used by bureaucrats, the elite and even the middle class to justify societal neglect of basic education. What parents clamor for is relevant, high quality education, which sadly is often not available to children in the world's poorest communities.

Poverty Myths

Poverty Myth #10: Child labor, not education, helps families end the cycle of poverty.

Poverty Myth #11: By increasing per capita income, poor countries can become developed by 2015.

Poverty Myth #12: Modern medicine and technology have eliminated pregnancy- and birth-related deaths around the world.

Poverty Myth #13: Poor women do not benefit from microcredit programs.

Poverty Myth #14: Basic education does not help people living in poverty.

Poverty Myth #15: Increased food availability will reduce hunger caused by famines.

Poverty Myth #16: Raising incomes is the best way to reduce poverty.

Poverty Myth #17: The Millennium Development Goals focus on eradicating poverty by the year 3000.

Poverty Myth #2: If school is free, why don’t more children in poor countries attend?

Poverty Myth #3: Children do not attend school because it is too far away.

Poverty Myth #4: Societies and countries are poor because their populations are large.

Poverty Myth #5: Reducing birth rates in developing countries will end poverty.

Poverty Myth #6: Girls drop out of school because it is too hard for them.

Poverty Myth #7: Strict population control measures are the most effective way to slow down population growth in developing countries.

Poverty Myth #8: Indian children are malnourished because they do not have enough food.

Poverty Myth #9: Limited or no access to drugs is the single greatest impediment to stopping the AIDS pandemic.