Education means more than just a headache

By: Natalie

By the time summer rolls around, we are all anticipating the end of the school year. July means sun, no more books, and no more teacher’s dirty looks. But with all the excitement and vacation fun, we can easily forget the importance of school.

Of course we all realize how greatly school can affect our future and the lives of those directly around us, but in the big picture it affects our entire society. A good education system propels a society forward -- there’s a reason why so many well-known universities have many international applicants! At UofT, for example, the student population is made up of 7% of international students, excluding American students.

Good education can also be an excellent preventative measure. For example, when an effective education system is in place it is much easier and effective to inform people of how to protect themselves against disease. HIV and AIDS has an adult prevalence rate of 9 % in Sub-Saharan Africa because of poor preventative measures, and the lack of education on how to protect oneself from exposure has only made the problem worse.

Overall education affects every aspect of our lives, from our healthcare to the healthy function of a country. So maybe when the end of June finally shows up, when we finally put away all of our books, we should remember just how important each day of school is to how we live.