The UN MDGs : a tangible target or a moving goalpost? : the case of poverty and education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The following study will focus on the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2000. I will seek to evaluate how the Millennium Development Goals are faring at half time. In this research paper I will analyze whether the Millennium Development Goals are yielding significant results and therefore leading to less world poverty. Last but not least, to evaluate whether the goals set by the United Nations will be achieved by 2015. The study will primarily give an overview of what arc the MDGs and how they are faring. The theoretical chapter will deal with the concepts of development, poverty and education. In the next section of the dissertation I will focus on goals 1, 2 and 3. The former seeks to reduce poverty by half, whereas goals 2 and 3 deal with primary education and gender equality. This study will focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. The case study will focus on three main regions, namely, Niger, Zambia and Chad. This section will evaluate the successes and failures of the first three goals. Primarily, I will give an overview of each region and then I will evaluate whether the incidence of poverty within these regions will be reduced by half and if all the children living in these countries will have access to free primary education, both for girls and boys.