The case for free 12-years education: is it worth the cost?

Education plays an important part in all societies. Education gives people a better chance of a prosperous life through various means. One finding suggests that average hourly wage is directly proportional to the average years of education. The Human Development Index (HDI) emphasizes education as a key feature of a country’s overall development. Undoubtedly, education brings many benefits to individuals and societies, and hence should be made free and available to everyone. But why is this not the case?

As with nearly everything, it has to do with cost. Education requires government expenditure, which may be better off put to some other use, a concept known as opportunity cost. For example, in the USA where public schools are free, the government funds US$734,2 billion dollars annually for K-12 education. Although the USA might have adequate funding allocated to education, other countries might not due to placing a higher priority elsewhere. Politicians may place a greater emphasis on other issues such as infrastructure, climate conservation, social security, or other issues which may be issues that when dealt with could give them a higher chance of getting re-elected.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in education always pays the highest returns.” As can be seen, it is assumed that education always improves the quality of human resources. By educating people, they are supposed to be better contributors to society and increase potential growth. However, in reality, there is a great difference between going to school and learning. For example, in Kenya, children are attending school but little learning is taking place. According to Uwezo Kenya findings from 2011, “only three out 10 children in Class Three can read a Class Two story [in English], while slightly more than half of them can read a paragraph. Four out 100 children in Class Eight cannot read a Class Two story.” Such outcomes reflect a system that has broken down and is not preparing children for the 21st Century. Though the education may be free, there is little value-addedness in many of those schools.

However, education is still a long-term investment that gives a better shot at solving the other problem that we have right now. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” As mentioned in the introduction, education increases income and prosperity which reduces the funding needed for social security programs. It also creates awareness for climate issues and how to solve them, which can also mitigate government spending on it, as well as a look into cheaper infrastructure alternatives, which helps mitigate costs as well. The effects might not be visible in the short-run, but it can be a powerful and worthy investment in the long-run.

In addition, making education free and available for everyone helps eliminate income inequality. Income inequality occurs because not everyone has the same resources. However, education provides a level playing field by allowing everyone to develop their intellectual faculties to the same degree. This in turn allows people to have better jobs and move up the social classes, which reduces income inequality. If education is not free to everyone, then those who are willing and able to pay for education have the potential to become wealthier, while those who are not able to pay for education may be unable to realise their potential.

In conclusion, I believe that the standard 12-years education should be made free and accessible to all students in every country, as they are a long-term investment and a way to reduce income inequality. Although there are some problems with the education system, they can be fixed through careful monitoring and constant tweaking of the system. Education is most definitely a worthy cause to invest a big portion of a country’s total income in.

Dominic Bryan

References:

“A Quote by Benjamin Franklin.” www.goodreads.com, n.d. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/247087-the-only-thing-that-is-more-expensive-than-education-is.

Card, David. “THE CAUSAL EFFECT of EDUCATION on EARNINGS.” Accessed October 8, 2020. http://unionstats.gsu.edu/9220/Card(1999)_Causal%20Effect%20of%20Education%20on%20Earnings.pdf.

Ellis, Paul. “How Nelson Mandela Created the Conditions for Success.” Cambridge Assessment International Education, March 28, 2019. https://blog.cambridgeinternational.org/nelson-mandela/.

Hanson, Melanie. “U.S. Public Education Spending Statistics [2021]: Per Pupil + Total.” EducationData, 2020. https://educationdata.org/public-education-spending-statistics.

“Iain’s Story: How School Affected My Mental Health.” Mental Health Foundation, 2018. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/stories/iains-story-how-school-affected-my-mental-health.

“Quotes - Education Is the Key to Unlock the Golden Door of Freedom.” www.shmoop.com. Accessed February 4, 2022. https://www.shmoop.com/quotes/education-key-to-unlock-the-golden-door-of-freedom.html.

Roser, Max. “Human Development Index (HDI).” Our World in Data, 2019. https://ourworldindata.org/human-development-index.

“TOP 20 INVESTMENT in EDUCATION QUOTES | A-Z Quotes.” A-Z Quotes, n.d. https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/investment-in-education.html.

United Nations Development Programme. “Human Development Index (HDI) | Human Development Reports.” Undp.org. United Nations, 2020. http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi.

University of the People. “13 Inspiring Educational Quotes for Students to Help Them Thrive | UoPeople.” University of the People. uopeople, 2019. https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/13-inspiring-educational-quotes-for-students-to-help-them-thrive/.

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