I Believe in the Right to an Education

(First place in Humboldt County Writing Competition - personal essay category 9th-10th grade)

by Hannah | May 2009

When I was little I lived in China. Some days when the weather was warm, I would walk with my friends to their school. I would sit outside and listen to the teachers lecture. Their voices paused once in a while and I would hear the scrape of chalk on blackboards or the rustling of papers as students turned the pages of their text books. When break came, students' voices filled the schoolyard with chatter. I would rush to play with my friends who were on the playground until school began again.

Why was I sitting outside and not in the classroom learning with my friends? In China, children with disabilities are not allowed to attend regular public schools. I was one of them. I did not go to school because I have a visual impairment and I did not live near a school for the blind. Public schools in China do not provide accessible materials and instruction. Teachers feel it is a burden to have a disabled student in their class and many people believe disabled children should be educated separately.

But I believe that every child has the right to a quality education in his or her own community. I believe that education opens up new worlds of opportunity and can help people fulfill their dreams.
In China, my grandfather taught me simple math and how to use an abacus. He also taught me classical Chinese poetry. But I knew I was missing out on what the other children were getting at school.

When I came to the United States at the age of twelve, my dream of getting an education was fulfilled. But many children all over the world even today are denied an education because of their disabilities, the color of their skin, poverty or because they are girls. I was compelled to write this essay when I thought of my friend who I visited in China in 2007. She was 17 years old and has had no education because she is in a wheelchair and the schools nearby are not wheelchair accessible. She’s very smart and if she had the opportunity to attend school, I’m sure she would be successful. Instead she spends her days doing chores and taking care of younger children at the orphanage. In China, only 63 percent of disabled children attend school, compared with 98 percent of non-disabled children.

In many countries, such as Afghanistan, many girls do not attend school and those that do are sometimes harassed. I recently heard a story about girls in Afghanistan who had acid thrown in their faces because they are girls and were going to school. Then I heard about blind girls in Malawi who are abused and teased by both students and teachers at school.

According to the World Bank, 75 million children around the world do not attend school and about 55% of those are girls. Ninety percent of disabled children in developing countries do not get an education. I know that having an education has opened up new worlds of opportunity for me and my dream is for all children to have that opportunity.

When I first moved to the United States I was very eager to go to school. It took very little time and effort for me to learn English and Braille and other school subjects. My dream now is to attend university after I graduate from high school, then pursue a career in international relations. I know this is only possible because I had the chance for an education.

If everyone had a chance to have an education, it would help them make better decisions about their lives and their communities. Girls, children with disabilities and poor children should all have the same opportunities. I believe my education has given me a chance to fulfill my dreams and I want every child in the world to have a chance to fulfill theirs.

More of Hannah's writings