Obama Grants Will Hopefully Encourage Moms to Get a (california) Degree
No commentsBy Fred Jackson
Despite the fact that higher education is important, there are often a number of obstacles that can hinder potential students from enrolling in college. At the top of this list, especially for single mothers, are family obligations and financial concerns. Obama grants, which are meant to encourage mothers to return to college to earn a degree, attempt to ease some of the concerns associated with going to college.
In a number of cases, the purpose of federal grants is to help disadvantaged groups to attend college. The federal Pell grant is an endowment commonly given to low-income students. The benefits of Pell grants have been increased in order to be a greater help to potential students, since the Obama administration has stated that it places a high priority on education. A title given to a portion of the standard Pell grant program is the Scholarships for Moms program. Working moms are especially encouraged to apply for this. Equipping low-income mothers to earn a degree will provide a stimulus to the lagging economy, the administration believes, and also be a great benefit to the families of those mothers, as a result of which will be an increase in their earning power in the work force.
While the cost of education is high these days, $5,000 from a Pell grant may not seem like a lot of money, but it can be a help when you consider the other expenses associated with going to college. A student has to pay for housing and travel expenses, as well books and supplies. For single moms, these miscellaneous expenses may also include childcare. A great characteristic of the Pell grant award is that the money awarded does not necessarily have to be applied to college tuition. As long as the expense is vital to obtaining an education, it can be covered by the grant money.
It must be remembered that this program is not specifically catering to traditional students; it provides opportunity for traditional and non-traditional students alike. Just as welcome as a student who is fresh out of high school, are mothers who want to return to college to earn a degree. Consideration is given equally to potential students who would prefer to go to a small community college as well as mothers who would like to stay home and take care of their children while taking online courses. All willing students are able to earn a degree that will provide them with significant opportunity in the job market, and this is the most important factor.
Obama grants are purely an effort by the current administration to show that education truly is the key to a bright future. By allocating a significant amount of money to pay for education, everyone from young adults to working mothers has a chance to go to college.
So what’s holding you back? Take advantage of a $10,000 scholarship drawing. Registration is free if you visit http://www.scholarshipsformomsfinder.info/
The Government and Educational NGOs in India Make A Difference Together
By Shawn Jeffrey
The rapid growth of the Indian economy in the recent past and the compulsion to sustain it is forcing the Indian government to accelerate the process of developing all the branches of the Indian education system. Despite all the efforts to expand the education system in India, access, equity and quality of education in India continue to haunt the policy makers till this date. This has largely been due to the widespread poverty and various prejudices.
In addition to the propagation of private, fee-paying schools in India, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a crucial role in providing educational services, especially in un-served and under-served communities. Educational NGOs in India have launched programs that have had positive impacts in terms of both access and quality because, firstly, these programs are small-scale and locally rooted, and secondly, because their organization allows for greater flexibility and room for innovation in areas such as, teacher education, curriculum design and school networking that is not possible within government schools.
The Government and educational NGOs in India can play a key role in eliminating fees or underwriting their costs through efforts like scholarships, bicycles to get to school, or creative micro-enterprise development projects that, for instance, might produce school uniforms at a low cost while providing some income to parents.
The Government in India must go beyond measuring only the financial resources that are attributed towards securing childrens rights. They should also include non-financial resources such as technical assistance, human resources and political will. While the responsibility of the government is to ensure all children are included in quality education systems-no matter what their gender, ability, or identity is. Educational NGOs in India can and should help them achieve this long term goal, through the following ways:
As NGOs they can advocate to influence the financing for education, by looking at the amount of money allocated as well as how it is spent. Educational NGOs in India can collectively advocate for relief of debt and loan restrictions that limit education financing. NGOs can play a key role as stakeholders in gender responsive budget initiatives, ensuring that female needs and rights are addressed and they are included and involved in the decision-making process
Since NGOs work with children, parents and communities often in a very personal manner, they have the unique chance to map who is not in school and influence and empower communities to take on many of the factors that keep children from school. At the local, grassroots level, NGOs can play a very important role in challenging harmful traditional practices and attitudes that keep females from completing their education.
Educational NGOs in India can also partner with the Government through sharing work and combining human resources. One way NGOs can partner with
governments is via research collection. Working with communities and universities both can collect sub national data on girls to best focus resources and calculate the necessary costing to include all children in gender-equitable education programs. Often NGOs work closely with communities of marginalized and abandoned children, and thus they can serve as critical partners for inclusion.
Shawn Jeffrey is the author of this article on Slum education.
Find more information about Slum children here.
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Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 6:30 pm and is filed under education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
