The best way to reduce poverty in developing countries is by giving up to six years of free education so that they can at least read, write, and use numbers. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

For a long, it has been considered that education is the best means to fight poverty. A considerable number of people in developing nations can not afford even primary-level education. Thus, it is frequently advised at least six years of education be imparted to children to promote equal opportunity. As far as I am concerned, I differ with this thought to a large extent, for I believe six years of education may not help and shall justify my point of view in the following paragraphs.

Even though knowledge of foundation-level reading, writing, and rudimentary mathematics should be considered a necessity for all, just this much may not help an individual or society much today, for knowledge of reading, writing, and numerals is as good as illiteracy today. This much schooling can not bring significant benefits for an individual, community, or nation. If the motto of free education programs is to empower the nation, so that it may eventually overcome the challenge of poverty, six-year complimentary education may not just prove futile, it may ultimately prove to be a bad investment or may take a long time to bear for fruit, if any.

Only when education is imparted at least till high school, it may open doors to various opportunities for an individual and the development of the nation. For example, according to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, of 2009, free and compulsory education is provided as a fundamental right to children aged 6 to 14. It is the power of education, which has helped India leave a mark on the world map. Thus, 9-10 years of gratis education must be ensured, so a nation may eventually come out of obscurity or impoverishment.

To sum up, just an understanding of language and numbers may be insufficient for significant advancements. The right amount of investment in educating its population is advised for a nation to bear fruits.