Compulsory Education in Perspective

In his keynote address, while launching the Free Quality Education, President Bio reminded parents and guardians about the current Education Act of 2004 that makes it compulsory for them to send their children to school to receive primary and junior secondary school education as well as the penalties. It will be seen as times goes on that the Act was passed without careful deliberation.As a result it has been dormant for the past 14 years.Like the Single Treasury Account and action on the publicized Audit Reports it has been a matter of “intention pass action”.

The present scenario is like witnessing the welcome infection of the paopa syndrome in all facets of our public life. It is a willy-nilly situation into which we have been launched since the advent of Biocracy. In passing that draconian Act the legislators were mindless of the fact that they were operating in a democratic dispensation.They also did not think of a quid pro quo once the Act was effected.The situation was exacerbated by the fact that at the time of its passing there was no Free Education.How those thoughtless legislators hoped to hound children into classrooms without providing them school fees is an enigma wrapped up in a mystery.The human rights factor here was thrown overboard.

Freedom of education and coercion are going to be strange bedfellows even with the best of intentions of the Free and Quality Education.Setting hundreds of thousands of children off the streets and homes where they perform essential life-saving chores is going to be a Herculean task. Who will take the place of children that help the lame and blind citizens to survive? Thankfully there is a Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs to take care of these awfully emerging issues.Unless and until emerging measures are put in place to take care of these unfortunate hordes of humanity there are breakers ahead.

The new scheme prescribes that after two failures students would no longer benefit from free education which is all very well for students at secondary schools.These can easily turn to vocational education or seek self-employment to fend for themselves.But when primary school pupils are turned out of school because of failure, where is the free education? What happens to the percentage of citizens being educated from the purported 60 percent? It is therefore right to introduce mass promotion in primary schools without delay for the smooth implementation of this new policy.The pupil –teacher ratio is another facet of the new policy that is going to be implemented with regrets.This is because the “excess” students have neither any profitable thing to do nor a suitable place of survival.

It is wise for the authors of the new policy to have spread it out over a five-year period because along the route they are going to have many drawbacks and rivers to cross, hopefully without drowning.An English proverb states: “You may lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” Rail-roading children to school reluctantly should be staggered over the five-year period.

“Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education,without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.” -James A.Garfield.