Latin America Vs. U.S.

In developing countries in Latin America, the percentages of students that attend college are very low. It is not to say that they do not want to attend or finish their secondary education and attend college, but the government does not provide the opportunities for higher education. In Mexico, most of the governmental assistance for higher education is sent to public universities, which are mostly attainable by the wealthy.

Quality of Education:

The quality of education is another obstacle students in Latin America face, in order to receive an education. The infrastructure in schools are very poor and they lack facilities to ensure a proper learning environment. Many of the schools in Latin America lack gyms, water and electricity, computer rooms, science labs, libraries and some even lack telephone lines. In contrast, here in the U.S, our schools are in much better condition to nurture the learning process.

Violence:

Violence in Latin America, against teachers and the students, interferes with their opportunity to gain an education. In Mexico, the extortion of teachers has led to protests for better protection and security for the teachers themselves. As a result they stop teaching, which affects the students learning process. Similarly in Honduras, organized violence has escalated to the student’s safety, in where gangs enter the school and interfere with the lectures. The United States is not exempt to violence, but it is not as severe as Latin American countries.

Something to think about:

In the country most of us live in we don’t have to worry about violence interfering with our learning or endangering our very lives. We don’t have to worry about poorly equipped schools, and it is something that we sometimes take for granted, but it is important to remember that grass is not always greener on the other side and there are students who do not have the same opportunities that we do. Let’s try to take advantage of them and make them worthwhile, shall we?