Is Education Important in the Development of Countries

Is Education Important in the Development of Countries?
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Research shows links between education and improved development countries’ economic growth. There is significant improvement in long-term economic growth in countries where older adults access secondary education and the younger adults access tertiary education. It is because these groups of people are able to obtain higher incomes over a prolonged period of time (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2008). Other research indicates that one more year of schooling in developing countries increases one’s earning capacity by 10 percent. The cumulative increase in earnings contributes to national economic growth. It also suggests that for a country to attain sustained economic growth, it is necessary that it attains adult literacy rate of above forty percent (Center for Global Development, n.d.). A country with an educated society benefits from higher levels of innovation and overall productivity. It may be accomplished through introduction of better production methods and faster uptake of new technologies (Papaioannou & Dimelis, 2007). Education gives the society the required human capital boost that is necessary in lifting wider population segments from poverty. Achieving higher education is presumed to raise wages and productivity which makes both countries and individuals richer (The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 200). Higher investment in education results in greater productivity of human capital that reduces wastage of resources. For instance, the enhanced human capital lowers the cost of implementation of new technologies. The accumulated savings contribute to the overall developing country’s development (Idrees & Siddiqi, 2013).
Education also positively impacts on citizens cognitive and behavioral decisions. For instance, it influences their participation in population control, which removes undue stress on infrastructure and natural resources. Education inculcates value in women desiring lesser children and better opportunities for those they have. They are also more embracing to the government supported family planning initiatives to control the population. These women also access vital health information for their children and it results in health advantages for both adults and children and it has a direct impact on their respective countries’ development (Lutz, Crespo, & Sanderson, 2008). Education also has positive health impacts on the wider population because it empowers people to prevent disease and to utilize the existing health services more appropriately. For example, one report indicates that primary education reduces HIV infection by fifty percent. Those without schooling are therefore at much higher risks of contracting HIV and have less healthy children (Global Campaign for Education, 2004).
The other claim is that educat...