Educational Barrier in the Tropics

One of the goals of sustainable development is education. Through education, it is hoped that the future generations could solve today’s problems of climate change. But, a study conducted by University of Maryland published on April 15th 2019 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed that exposure to extreme heat contributes a significant barrier for children to attain school.

Children living in the tropics are the first ones to feel the intensifying effects of climate change. According to the study, exposure to temperature that is higher than average and humidity during prenatal and early childhood associates with fewer years of school attendance. The study links the two subjects in 29 countries in the global tropics, including Southeast Asian countries, and provides more evidence on social impacts of climate change.

"If climate change undermines educational attainment, this may have a compounding effect on underdevelopment that over time magnifies the direct impacts of climate change… As the effects of climate change intensify, children in the tropics will face additional barriers to education," wrote the two authors, Heather Randell and Clark Gray.

This does not only applies to children coming from low-income families, but also those from well educated households. Supposedly, educated households would buffer their children from such effects as climate change. Yet as stated in the study, “these children tend to experience the greatest educational penalties when exposed to hotter early-life conditions and, in some regions, to drier conditions.”

This problem also magnifies the effect of climate change as linked to a country’s development, since education is one of the parameter of a developed country. In other words, climate change can undermine socio economic progress, especially to the third world populations.

A problem of such scale could quickly (though perhaps not significantly) be reduced through policy making. For example, policies to make sure pregnant women and young children can be privileged to avoid heat and humidity in public facilities.

Marriage as a Solution to Avoid 'Zina'

Commonly known, dating is forbidden for the Muslims. Although this view is not entirely obeyed by all its followers, even in Muslim dominated Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei), but some are driven to make a movement based on the prohibition. One of them is La Ode Munafar, founder of Indonesia Tanpa Pacaran (Indonesia Without Dating) Movement.

Shortly, the movement encourages its members and fellow young, unmarried Muslims around Indonesia to avoid dating and get straight to marriage. In a way, they keep reminding their members through social media, especially women, that waiting for the right man is worthwhile. In addition, they also encourage the young men to propose the women they (by faith) believe in. However, this movement (and more minor movements similar to this one) raised counter-opinions from feminists, women empowerment media and open-minded news media. The movement is seen to be narrow-minded with logical fallacy solutions by simplifying the marriage itself.

Marriage has long been an ‘exit’ and ‘goal’ for most women. They foresee themselves having an identity as someone’s wife and have a man to lean on. Simply, marriage is a woman’s path to Happily Ever After. A famous term for this is Cinderella Complex. Modern women may ignore this concept, but they would still get jitters as they’re approaching the age of 30 and still not married.

Questions are also raised on what is the proper age to get married in Islam. Some refer to Baliqh, when a woman starts her period. But some also add that Baliqh is not only about physical, but also mental maturity. The interpretation is biased. Yet, we can be sure of one thing: women have to be physically ready to not only lay with her husband, but to also bear a child (or children) and give birth.

In a way, the argument that the movement put forward could be considered as a logical fallacy. “Being married at a very young age is better than dating (zina)” somewhat leads to say that “people cannot contain themselves from zina”. It is as if the young Muslims are only given two polar opposite choices without an alternative between postponing marriage and not performing zina. Aside from this, the movement may seem to empower Muslim women to protect and respect themselves, but taking a closer look, there are still gender oppressing contents. Women in this community are guided to become a certain way,

Reverse Freedom of Book Shaming

Are you an avid or regular reader? Has it ever crossed your mind when you see someone’s reading list, “That? Such a shallow read.”

Reading was a privilege, if we go way back in time. Now that books are freely and widely published with most people in the world are literate, book shaming could be said as a history depreciating act. It’s absolutely a human’s right (even though not formally and specifically stated) to voluntarily read any type of books as one prefers. Yet, when one is an avid reader of all the popularly noted as ‘brilliant works’, it’s almost unavoidable to judge others’ reading preferences. Not reading, say, Austen or Fitzgerald does not make anyone less of a reader.

Book shaming is a newly emerging term for an act of underestimating somebody based on their reading preferences. For example, genres such as young adult, teenlit, chicklit and fan fiction stories are most likely to be a book shaming object due to their low level of difficulty and seemingly lack of research. Also, these genres are based on romantic and illogical fantasies. These genres are initially aimed for teenagers and the main purpose is to entertain rather than giving a certain historical depiction or harsh reality. If book-shamed, the readers of these genres would feel somewhat embarrassed of reading such novels instead of highly-thought-of classic literature. Especially, if the readers are no longer teenagers. For them, reading such genre would either depict how simple-minded they are or a pitiful escape from reality (even if books ARE meant to give our minds to explore a whole new world or life beyond ours). This also happens with adults who still likes reading children’s books.

We have been bombarded with mandatory readings at school or perhaps even at work. Those are books we have to finish despite our tendency or mood. So, voluntary reading should entertain and, most importantly, tickle our curiosity. Everyone will find that they have certain genre(s) to meet such criteria.

It’s a common knowledge that reading is seen as an attempt to free the mind. If the emergence of books are so, then why do we act the opposite way? None should feel embarrassed for their way of freedom.