Compulsory Education – Time For a Rethink

If Facebook went back far enough, say 50 years, there would be photographs of me protesting in the Cenotaph outside at the Durban City Hall against the silliness and cruelty of the National Party.

One such protest centred on a most noble cause – free compulsory school education for all.

I firmly and passionately believed in that cause. Until the day I became a high school teacher myself in Welkom, Free State. Reality has induced me to change my mind. I no longer believe in compulsory education. I believe more firmly than ever in free education, at school and beyond, but only for the people and families who want it.

One occupation I promised myself I would never follow was that of schoolteacher. Life, however, had other plans for me.

So, unexpectedly but probably inevitably, I found myself standing before a group of nonchalant teenagers at the school in Welkom.

Within hours on the first day, I was grappling with the question: why do young people want to study, or more accurately, why do young people not want to study.

Within days I became aware of just how much energy, time, effort and attention was devoted to young people who did not want to be behind a school desk. So much of taxpayers’ and parents’ fees was wasted on them.

So, I want to propose – let kids who do not want to be at school to learn academic stuff leave the classroom forever whenever they wish to, as from the day they turn 10 years old.

That will leave the education resources for young people who want to be there. If the only reason you are at school is because you have to be there by law, then let’s change the law.

School children who use the classroom as an arena to display their anti-social behaviour are simply not worth keeping at school. The fairy tale of a great teacher turning around a young thug with love, understanding and encouragement may exist. It’s just I have never seen such a case. I believe that education should be a choice for young people, their families and their future.

I have seen far too many bright kids intimidated into submission and subjection by classroom bullies and loud mouths. My support goes to young people who want to learn.

Drawing from experience in Sharjah, China and South Africa, I sense that three things are needed for young people to benefit from school.

The first ingredient is the support of parents or guardians or people who love them. Teaching in China in school and university, I became aware, again, of the sacrifices parents make to keep their children learning. In Welkom and China, I was always moved by the love that such people showed towards their children. That is a foundation for success at school, not a law on compulsory attendance that I believe has passed its sell-bye date. And loving parents should not be impeded by no longer useful laws.

Next on the list of success factors is confidence. Teachers on every campus have a humane duty to build up the confidence of people learning from them. I have seen young people go from timid and withdrawn to being proud young people because their confidence has been boosted by a teacher. You can see the change. Don’t give me fairytales of crusading teachers. Let me rather share case after case of young people changed forever by being encouraged to be confident. I have also seen enough kids have their view of themselves sullied by school yard bullies and thugs for me to wish to make changes at school.

The third ingredient is teachers who want to teach. To ask a person with a drive/interest to teach to try work with youngsters who don’t want to be at school is unreasonable. I have seen good teachers undone by bad kids and their evil parents.

I believe in education, particularly self-educating, but I do not believe in compulsory education for unruly adolescents.

Let the kids who don’t want to be behind a desk go out into the world at 10 years of age. If I had my way, they would also be allowed to work for wages at that age, if they so wished. If not, let them see the world as it really is: uncaring and quick to forget. Let the problems they cause be dealt with by the police and social workers, not teachers helping to present the next generation of leaders.

I am not closing the door to the early school leavers. No, after they have wasted a few years of their lives, provision should be made for them to return to school if they so wish, or an artisan training center. Hopefully such young people would by then want to learn something to do to improve their lives.

The purpose of a school is to pass on skills and knowledge that young people need to function in their society later. The purpose is also to guide young people on how to interact with other people. I have seen enough young people set bad examples at school to better behaved kids for me to now say: separate the kids who want to learn knowledge, skills and behaviour from those who do not want to learn that.

Were I in a more cynical mood, I would say the purpose of school was to provide a place for kids to go to while their parents worked.

So, I believe it is time for a rethink on compulsory education and time to make provision for young people who do not want to be part of the schooling system.