I got to interview my student's driver when he drove me back home. He is the oldest in a brood of four and all of them finished grade school. When I asked why only till grade school, he told me that the school is ten kilometers away from his house and that they have no transportation to bring them back and forth. Aside from being poor, they need to help the household earn money.
So now he is in the city trying to earn more than what he will earn in the upcountry. Both husband and wife are saving money to send their only son to school. They wanted to give to their son what they didn't get when they were young.
If all people will have the same determination to free themselves from the cycle of poverty and illiteracy, then we will see a better future for our youngsters. As an educator, I pity the poor children doing street work as they are too young to be peddling or offering car cleaning services. They should be given the chance to go to school.
I am no president of a country nor a philanthropist who have the power to change not only an individual but a society. I am a mere observer and a listener to one of the many plights of the ordinary people. The only thing I can do is to listen, and encourage them to make their lives better.
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