Pros and Cons of Compulsory Education

We exist in a society where social and financial depression leads to financial deficiency to offer our wards sound education. At this, a social pill must come to alleviate the burden of having an illiterate child grow up. In many nations of the world, compulsory education takes preeminence. However, the pros and cons of compulsory education are closely tied that in its significance, we see its extremities.

However, before a clear understanding of the pros and cons of compulsory education can be clarified in this essay, the need to familiarize ourselves with the knowledge of compulsory education is important. Having in mind that it emerged in America in the mid 19th century and it sought to incorporate new immigrants into the social and educational system of the society, laws were made to keep people in school, to give a sense of belonging as well as an identity with the academy of the society.

Compulsory education laws are policies which are primary mediums used to enhance a level of greater participation in the educational system. This greater participation involves a high number of marginalized persons. Hence, on the balance, the policy of compulsory education is approved to ensure (rather than compel) that students/children or young adults stay in school until at least age 16 or 18 (depending on the state). Some states, with the consent of parents, permit students' education till age 21.

This approach seeks to involve every child in the educational system to have a literate society having in mind that some people cannot afford the expenses of education. Hence, the intergenerational significance of this policy is reflected in its ability to boil down the rate of poverty across generations.

Compulsory education policy is made as provided by legislators as a means to address lagging financial and economic systems due to issues of interdependency and unemployment. Further, it is to recognize the high number of drop-out students who drop out because they can't afford the bills of education. Although, some drop out of schools because of the social corruption in the environment around it.

Hence, strict laws are created around the age of schooling, and schooling attendance percentage must be met as approved by state laws. By this, a child has the opportunity to attend school until high school graduation. Further, accessing this policy, it can be discovered that the population of students in schools improved overtime.

The primary importance of the approval of this policy is to reform the labor market by generating sizable labor into the market. For this, people require a level of education to make the labor market work. More so, education and compulsory schooling have been suspected to have a probable solution to ending and curbing teenage (organized) crimes.

However, as much as the intentions of these policies seem grand and noble, the question of drop-out students remains in the air as much as teenage crime hasn’t waned. Further, the state of despicable teen crime has remained alarming as the school has become an avenue to plan and organize crime. This is why the consideration of the pros and cons of education is as important as the consideration of compulsory education itself.

With the compulsory education policy, low-productivity due to a low level of education level has been elevated. By this, people with the level of high school education are distinguished and can maintain a higher job in the economic pool. Also, as education and the art of schooling are considered human capital in the economic model, a compulsory education policy enhances a level of a more productive low-educated person than those without education at all.

This policy involves everyone, both sidelined and recognized communities of people. This means that there are no exceptions, everyone has free access to education from the “local” level of each state. This creates a considerable opportunity for a wide level of educated persons. This becomes a motivation that signals their involvement in the social sphere in which socially marginalized people had not prior found themselves.

Compulsory education also grants access to free public education. It is important to remember that part of the laws established in the constitution is the provision of education for all. With access to compulsory education, parents who can neither afford tuition fees nor launch and welfare fees have their kids catered for.

Kids are thus opportune to enjoy essential services regardless of their background.

Further, students become more developed and motivated to develop skills. Sometimes, the best tech guy isn’t the guy who left Harvard a year ago or the guy who left NYU a couple of months ago. The best tech guy is the guy who had limited access to education because he cannot afford it but he developed his interest in technology and he has so much innovation that he is ready to materialize if sponsored.

Beneficiaries of compulsory education are fortunate enough to have the background knowledge which hence offers them the luxury of exercising focus on anything that catches their attention. Students like this become recipients of prestigious scholarships that prove useful to their careers.

However, as the level of education population increases, there are cons in the compulsory education policy.

The first question to be asked is if compulsory education has addressed the issues of drop-out students and crime. Although the policy is to ensure that everyone gains a level of education, the root of the problem still lingers. Compelling students to attend schools under strict attendance policies are reasons why some of them wish to drop-out of schools. Therefore, ensuring compulsory education isn't enough. Engaging students via up to date curriculum to carry them along is also important.

According to a survey by BoostUp.org, students quit schooling because they have low family expectations which mean schooling isn’t so important after all. More so, they find it uninteresting and irrelevant. When students find no motivation from family not social institutions, they are not particularly driven to learn.

Also, it should be noted that this policy is costly to manage because of the gross number of people involved. The government of society invests heavily in education which is given for free. It further invests in teachers and students who still exhibit a level of nonchalance at education.

However, another con of compulsory education is the eventual competition for the nature of the same job. Although it is agreed that compulsory education hence literacy reduces the level of unemployment, it should yet be noted that when there is stiff competition for a particular vacancy by diploma graduates, some gain the vacant position while others don’t which leads to unemployment.

More so, human labor becomes extensive, and enormous and lesser people are found engaged in the physical job which is essential to the growth of the economic system. Although the education of people has its high importance, it has proved to limit the number of active citizens in the physical labor sector of the economy.

Finally, although, compulsory education has both its pros and cons, this policy has proved important at maintaining a gross number of literate citizens than illiterate ones. A policy that has birthed improvement in the economic sector of society.