Ecology of formal education

This photo deals with the ecology of formal education for families living in poverty. Education is the only sure way out of poverty in Guatemala and other parts of the world. Education requires the investment of money and many other State resources and also of the students’ families. I took this photo in the community of La Ruedita, Guatemala City in 1980. La Ruedita was an “illegal” neighbourhood, with no official electric or water service. The boy holding the puppy is 11 years old. He attends the primary state school. His clothes are relatively new as the school requires children to be well dressed and clean, with clean hair. The other boy is 8 and does not go to school. His mother told me that there was not enough money to send two children to school. When the eldest child finishes primary school, then his younger brother will go. The ecology of poverty means that people take such decisions, which are practical and rational. The poor are often more “intelligent” than the rich, especially when it comes to allocating resources.

Barry Bogin, Professor of Human Biology at the University of Loughborough (United Kingdom)