Persuasive Essay 1-Government Paying for Education
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Transcript of Persuasive Essay 1-Government Paying for Education
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7/30/2019 Persuasive Essay 1-Government Paying for Education
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Topic: As long as the government is paying for my education, it can tell me
what to study.
Education is considered by many to be the key to success. The question is
who should be in control of that key? Some believe that once the government is
paying that it should dictate or determine what one should study. However, othersargue that the individual must have a say in what areas he/she chooses to study.
The latter perspective will be more fully explored below.
Firstly, if the government has total control of what one studies simply
because it is paying then the individuals right to free choice would have been taken
away. Thus, while the Ministry of Education in its 16 Priorities speaks of developing
innovative and creative people, the opposite would in fact be the result if persons
were only allowed to study courses dictated by the government. Creative and
innovative ideas could be stifled as people seek to simply follow the governments
guidelines.
Secondly, giving individuals options that they may not want to choose could
have adverse effects on the country as it attempts to develop its human resources.
The countrys bright youth may choose to migrate to other countries, thus
draining the intellectual resources available for nation building. For example,
following the CAPE results in 2013, in Trinidad and Tobago, eighty-six per-cent of
the students who received scholarships chose to go abroad to study because the
subjects that they wished to pursue were not being offered by the government.
Thus, the best and brightest were choosing to move away rather than stay and
contribute to their land.
Thirdly, in a country where the government determines the education that isoffered to the population, ideas would become quite limited and there is the danger
that a dictatorship style government could be created. There could be a limited
world view and limited competition of ideas and this could become a dangerous
practice. For instance, in the history of the world one cannot forget the lessons
taught by Adolf Hilter and his Nazi army. As the government determining the
education of its people, hatred of the Jews was institutionalized, leading to the
death of millions of Jews. Thus, the governments ability to educate its people was
used to almost completely annihilate another race.
Fourthly, when the government pays for ones education, it continues the
cycle of the dependency syndrome which causes so many developing countries tobe unable to move on to developed nation status. This syndrome does not allow
people to learn how to be resourceful and to provide for their own needs. This may
result in a huge wastage of funds since very often when things come too easily they
are not appreciated. For instance, in Trinidad and Tobago, the government allows
private candidates to sit the CSEC examinations twice free of charge.
Consequently, thousands sign up and then (according to a 2012 report from the
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Examinations Section of the Ministry of Education) more than sixty per-cent fail to
actually be present to write the exams. In the end then, millions of dollars are lost.
In conclusion therefore, the government should never be allowed to be the
sole authority to determine the education that is provided for a countrys citizenry.
If the objective is to create a strong, innovative people who can meet thechallenges of living in todays global village then the individual must have some
say in what is studied.