SILVER SPRING, United States — Mongolia is a large country in Central Asia with a long and rich history of nomadic culture. Today, Mongolia has an education system and technology that specifically allow access for children across the country, including those previously underrepresented because of the rural-urban divide.
Education in Mongolia is essential in enabling children to achieve economic success. With an estimated 800,000 people living on less than $8.30 a day, according to the World Bank, advancements in technology are crucial for improving education and reducing poverty.
Access to High-Quality Public Education
In an interview with The Borgen Project, a Mongolian woman from Ulaanbaatar said, “I believe that private education does not simply equal better, as most of the students who are more competent and successful in international olympiads and fairs tend to be from public schools. Some renowned public high schools are much harder to get into compared to new fancy private schools.”
Mongolia’s public education system achieves enrollment rates of about 98.5%, but the divide is not about public and private schools but about location. Rural Mongolians traditionally lack access to the quality of education that urban Mongolia has. Many herders in rural Mongolia abandon their lifestyle and relocate to seek academic opportunities in Ulaanbaatar.
The migration away from rural regions demonstrates the importance of education and poverty reduction in Mongolia. Education is vital in giving people opportunities to compete for jobs. A 2010 study by Francesco Pastore, who has a Ph.D. in economics and works as an associate professor at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, found that the most important factors that influence salary are education and environment. Higher education grants a higher salary and so does an urban environment.
Regarding access to high-quality education, the interviewee told The Borgen Project, “However, all public schools are not the same as there are differences between the renowned public schools and very remote public schools in soums (subdivisions).” Access to these “renowned” public schools is often associated with an urban environment and leaves many rural Mongolians without many local opportunities.
The interviewee later went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree at New York University in Shanghai and stated that leaving Mongolia “was just a personal preference” and chose this path despite being accepted into top universities in Mongolia.
Teacher Salary and Training
Teachers in Mongolia have also seen improvements that have affected their salaries and allowed them to have more financial stability. The interviewee said, “There is a pay gap between public and private school teachers and I believe the Ministry of Education is currently working on increasing the salary of public school teachers strategically.” She is referring to the recent impactful increase in teacher salaries; Education International reports that teacher-led movements have resulted in an approximated 50% increase in teacher salaries across Mongolia.
Reforms in Mongolia also include stricter requirements for teacher training and teachers are now required to hold four-year degrees. As Mongolia’s quality of education increases, so does its ability to compete with other countries and involve themselves in the global market and give its students opportunities. Teacher quality is directly linked to student opportunities and poverty reduction. A nation with great teachers can educate the youth to train them to participate in research and business, which can raise millions of people out of poverty.
Teachers are required to consider the performance of “each and every child” to ensure that all children are given equal opportunity, focusing on traditionally underserved children. Additionally, the Mongolian government uses scholarship offers to attract students to teaching professions, allowing poor students to access free education and secure employment more easily and represents major progress in education and poverty reduction in Mongolia.
Education and Poverty Reduction in Mongolia
Language training is a significant factor in education and poverty reduction in Mongolia and gives students opportunities. Mongolian is not a commonly used language in international affairs, so English language training gives students much more power in deciding how to use their education. The interviewee left Mongolia to study at New York University (NYU) Shanghai, a school that requires English language competence. In an interview, she told The Borgen Project, “I believe the fundamental language skills taught by my secondary school actually helped my English learning journey become much smoother, thus making the whole college application process much easier.”
According to the United Nations Network on Migration, Mongolians often travel to countries such as the United States, South Korea and the Czech Republic for work. They seek higher salaries and better opportunities not available in Mongolia. Furthermore, high rates of migration from the country to the city result in overpopulation in Mongolian cities.
Conclusion
Mongolian education demonstrates how modernization is not only about efficiency but access. Rapid and effective progress in education and poverty reduction in Mongolia represents only one of many successful initiatives that Mongolia has implemented to achieve mass economic security and development.
– Amber Mantiply
Amber is based in Silver Spring, MD, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Unsplash