¶ … SCHOOL ATTENDANCE -- WHY IT IS COMPULSORY AND WHY IT SHOULD STAY THAT WAY
Roger Sipher argues that if compulsory attendance laws are repealed, the society would be better off as students who do not wish to be in schools would stay out while the ones who are committed will receive quality education. In this paper, we argue against this line of thought because I personally believe that just like you cannot allow your child the right to eat or not to eat, because you know that not eating would hurt his growth and development, similarly you cannot allow your child or any child for that matter to not go to school because sooner or later they would realize what a huge disservice you did to them by allowing them a say in the matter. Not only does lack of education hurt a person's future, it also has a negative bearing on the society itself where we need more educated people.
Society needs education because education is what makes the world a more livable place. Education is what makes a person more reasonable, more respectful of others and generally more aware of their surroundings. An educated person has the ability to articulate his thoughts and feelings which allow him to vent his frustrations speak his mind and be a more assertive individual. This all helps a child in his adult life when things do not always work the way he would wish and this can lead to several emotional and psychological problems. An educated person will be able to judge his own feelings, understand the source of his frustration and be able to do something about it. An uneducated person will not only hurt himself, he might also resort to anti-social behavior in bouts of depression. This is just one example of how education helps in a person's growth.
When we speak of rights, we must understand that we can only allow rights to people that do not involve hurting themselves or the society. The right to speak, the right to...
But the right to kill, the right to rob, and the right to hurt are not rights per se. If extended, they would destroy the entire society and thus perpetually stagnate the growth of a civilization. Thus we cannot allow a person a free hand in some matters and education is one of them.
It is the responsibility of an entire nation to make sure that every child receives education, even the ones who appear to lag behind or show lack of interest. Lack of interest is not a deciding factor that a child cannot learn. In fact many times what we perceive as lack of interest is simply a child's way of showing us that either he is too smart for what is being taught or he simply doesn't understand the instruction method. Such children can be handled with other strategies. More brilliant children will be placed in classes for gifted students while those who lag behind will receive education through a different instruction method. But in each case, education is a must and they will receive it even if some changes need to be made.
When Sipher says that right to not getting education should be extended to those who do not wish to study, he doesn't realize that most children at one time or another will show complete lack of interest. It is part of growing up and part of asserting their individuality. Children will sometimes also become disruptive because they are not interested in a certain subject or cannot relate to a teacher, or simply fin the contents too boring or too difficult to grasp. But all these are no reasons for allowing them to skip school or never attend school. Like rights to nutrition, right to getting good education is one of the most fundamental rights and any parent who ignores this can be accused of child neglect. Education opens doors of opportunities for a person. And without these opportunities, there is a…
