By Leidelen Telegrapo
Ask someone who comes from a poor family his or her reason for attending school and he or she will respond with, “this is my ticket to a better future.”
Despite the plight of many Filipino families who are living on the verge of poverty and trying everything they can to make ends meet, it is interesting to note how these poor parents manage to find means so they could secure education for their children. Their daily obligation of ensuring they have something to put on their tables against their dream of sending their children to school is a constant struggle. And yet, their hardships serve as their motivation to keep going.
A driving force, education allows them to dream bigger. It gives them hope about the future—a better future. With it, they firmly believe that they can have a better chance, if not to compete with the world, at least, to survive. They know that this education could help their children land jobs here and abroad. And if they do get employed, they could earn for the family not only to fulfill their basic needs but also to help their siblings secure education. This becomes a cycle until every child in the family finishes and obtains a diploma—even if it means one has to stop and sacrifice time and wait until the family can cope with educational expenses.
To an average or poor Filipino family, their children’s education is a source of pride. This is the reason why in many homes, one will find framed pictures hung on the wall of the living room showing everyone in the family who has finished a certain level of education along with medals and certificates. To the parents, these equate with all the efforts and struggles they went through to be able to send their children to school. And it comes with an air of relief, knowing that their hard work already paid off. They could finally boast about the success that someone or everyone in the family has made it. To the children, these speak of all the sleepless nights they had to endure to burn the midnight oil and surpass academic challenges. They could finally brag about the diploma and the title that come with it. At last, they can call themselves professionals.
Acquiring an education and becoming a professional give a person an edge over other people when it comes to career opportunities. The education he or she acquires is his or her credential and entry pass to the job he or she has always dreamed of. It provides him or her a better chance of climbing the social ladder thereby also increasing his or her chance to provide and secure a better future for his or her family. Hence, the once “poor” family then becomes “advantaged.”
Bill Gates once said, “being born poor is not your mistake, but if you die poor it’s your mistake.” Many indeed belong to the hem of our society—those who are on the verge or below the poverty threshold—but that does not mean that they cannot go up the ladder and make their lives better or more convenient. They can. They have the power. That is, only if they are willing to work for it and sacrifice for their dreams because they have to learn that in life nothing comes in handy.
Education, just like any other commodity in our society, has a price—perseverance. If a person has a dream, willingly he or she will do everything in his or her power to achieve it. And his or her willpower will determine how much he can achieve and how far he will reach. But only those who know the value of patience, hard work, and perseverance like the poor or underprivileged will be able to appreciate the fruits of this sought-after education.
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