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Debate Info

7
17
Government Enforced Private/voluntary
Debate Score:24
Arguments:11
Total Votes:34
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 Government Enforced (4)
 
 Private/voluntary (7)

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sparsely(498) pic



Compulsory Education?

no dark sarcasm in the classroom...

Government Enforced

Side Score: 7
VS.

Private/voluntary

Side Score: 17

Let me start by pointing out the obvious: I grew up in Germany, where we have compulsory education.

I am in favor of that model for the following reasons:

- Give kids a chance to escape their parent's ideology, by being exposed to a more neutral point of view in school

- Ensure a minimum level of education and socialization across the board

- Parents can still teach their kids anything else they deem important at home

Of course, I have many issues with the school systems in Germany as well as the USA, but generally the curriculum is defined by a democratically elected government.

I do see the separation of church and state as an important part of this model. Religion should be taught at home or in church. By the way, Germany does have "Religion" classes, however, one can easily opt out and take a secular substitute course, but I still would like to see that gone.

Schooling kids at home to protect them from dangerous knowledge they would gain at school stands against everything I hold dear.

Side: Government Enforced
0 points

It depends on which government and the definition and process of education. As a general principle, I think getting kids into a classroom full of their peers and teaching them a wide variety of subject matter is a good thing. Segregation and isolation are bad things when it comes to the education of children who will need to integrate into society when older.

Side: Government Enforced
0 points

The more education a citizen has, the better informed they can be about their choices when voting and the more contribution they can make to our economy. Society benefits when people are educated, so there should be a minimum required education.

The same argument can apply to military service - If politicians and citizens know what it feels like to be a soldier, they're less likely to send people out to war for trivial things or with weak excuses.

Side: Government Enforced
sparsely(498) Disputed
0 points

The argument isn't whether education is beneficial or not. We'll take that as a given. The question is, should the government be used to force a particular education regimen on its citizens, at their expense.

Side: Private/voluntary
0 points

Yes, if it's a democratically elected government. Making education wholly voluntary would lead to bone-headed and dangerous sects who believe in anti-social nonsense. Additionally, market mechanisms would exploit the fact in any number of ways i.e. if there is an economic motivator to urge non-participation it will happen. What company wouldn't want a horde of idiots buying their wares?

Side: Private/voluntary
3 points

Compulsory education gets a big "no" from me.

I support private/voluntary education absolutely 100%. Folks, this is the 21th century, we are not some prehistoric barbarians. Crazy cannalbolism, shamanism certainly won't appear if we let education go private. And the American society is built on freedom isn't it? Then let's be truly free and make everything optional, such as education. What I said all makes sense, because even if a person does not get a proper education and end up in a terrible situation, he wouldn't blame everything, he'd accept the situation 'cause he'd believe he bought it to himself. Forced education brings murders, social unrest and school shootings. Voluntary education brings money, wealth, happiness.

Side: Private/voluntary
2 points

Education should be voluntary. The government's job should be to ensure we all have equal access to learning rather than intellectual, socioeconomic elitism.

With the open availability of information, there is no reason the state needs to stand as a middleman, forcing environments hostile to children, individuality, and indeed, "education" itself.

Americas school system is modeled after a militaristic society, Prussia.

It says a lot that in order to access scientific papers, medical report databases, and such, that one has to be a member of some organization or "qualified" in some way.

Supporting Evidence: The Odysseus Group People's Education Debate & Discussion Center (www.johntaylorgatto.com)
Side: Private/voluntary
3 points

I have learned much in my life ,outside the classic university setting . I would go so far as to say that at least 90% of what I have learned is self-taught .

When going to university recruitment drives, here in America , I hear one word over and over , diversity. But it has been my experience that any semblance of freedom of expression is to be sacrificed on the alter of ...'do not offend.' diversity requirements= brainwashing?

80% of universities curb free speech in ways the government isn't even allowed to do .

Is the lesson that is taught in our schools of 'higher learning' , that people have a right to never be offended?

Go to any campus , you will see people advocating for all types of causes, organizations and movements . From the political clubs, ( young republicans, young democrats), religious groups,(single Christens , single Muslims), even clubs that are geared towards ones sexual orientation ... all are set up to engage contentious issues on campus: but in order to create a ‘politically correct’ atmosphere : you get one that does not reflect the true social environment that the students live outside of the classroom .

The main position of any organization willing to address offenses (political correctness) is a reactionary one. In order for them to take a proactive stance, organizations need to insist on ‘political correctness.’

Organizations focused on curbing offenses may not be able to persuade all.

Organizations can insist that ‘political correctness’ be part of the curriculum of those that are still in the process of their conditioning (education)

To be offended is a highly subjective situation .

There are many different degrees of offense , that will produce a wide variety of responses.

Censorship is like trying to stop the sun from rising . I am trying to stay focused; focus is paramount

The process not the personality of the situation

The two are almost inconsequential when attempting to restrain a single offense to all...

Pick up any university paper and you will see at least one article weekly that addresses some offense .

Are the universities no longer places that focus on education , to institutions for social change?

The university shares the information of the ‘status quo’ and rarely advocates true change.

When it does happen, it is the students or rather the individual that takes it upon themselves to implement any change , a personal choice .

The students interests should be paramount not an institutions .

Education simply provides the statistics the individual considers before taking such action; but the type of individual that is presented with contentious information is paramount .

Conditioning is integral to social change .

Are students too weak or simply pacified to use the first amendment ? Other than a need for real specialized education , do you think going to any university is worth the expense?

"You don’t go anywhere in society without going to college first but ,about 70% of ‘us’ get into college ; Only about 25% get a four year degree ; Only about 30- 35% at best graduate with a two or four year degree "

- Tony Carnival , National Center on Education and the economy (NCEE)

70/25=4<30-35=4/2 is that really worth pursuing?!

Getting educated?

confusion

-Teachers teach to many facts and not enough connections . They don't show how things work together or the 'big picture'

class positions

-based on intelligence

indifference

- Teachers demand student involvement for 50 minutes, then the bell rings . The lesson? No work is worth finishing . Conditioned lesson , why care about anything deeply.

emotional dependency

- Authority decides everything and knows better .From when they are allowed to speak to when they are allowed to use the bathroom .

Intellectual dependency

- Authority decides the lessons and how they are taught. The lesson? We must wait for others to give us meaning .

provisional self - esteem

- Authority evaluates . Lesson? Self worth depends on someone else .

one can't hide

- private time and space do not exist , to expose is encouraged ........' Lesson - Fear , compliance

This process ensures the eventual stagnation of the populace as a whole , mainly because most organizations have little need for any ‘free thinkers’: instead they want those that have been ‘certifiably’ conditioned.

I am attempting to highlight the process that produces the ‘spoon fed personality’; that turns to a book or SOP (standard operating procedure)

As opposed to those that actively seek answers to enhance their subjective understanding .

The written word does not codify interpretation nor can it ever include all axioms of perception - SPJr , this is something no university will ever expose. It must be experienced , more subjective than memorizing text

Side: Private/voluntary
2 points

this actually very iffy. i mean, we do need to make sure that everyone receives proper education, but we also need to make sure that they're not being brainwashed.

should be a combination. i really do hate this one though, cause you never know what the government is capable of. they could hire fake historians and shit. cursed.

Side: Private/voluntary
1 point

Forced Education is bad on so many levels I'm just going to name the most important reasons why it's GOT TO GO...

1. It's against your will. Education is a choice, not an obligation, not a duty, not a law. We have rights that if we don't want to use them we don't have to. We should choose whether to go to school or not no matter what age.

2. It takes up a LOT of your free time. Children could be exercising, playing outside, making friends in a more natural environment but instead there locked up in a concrete building for 7+ hours learning junk they don't like and will HARDLY ever use. And this is for the 11+ years of their life most of all they see is just school.

3. It forces you into a social environment. Filled with people you won't like, potential bullies and abusive teachers. You should choose how to spend your social life.

4. Your learning what you don't like Mentioned in reason #2 but to go further a LOT of what you learn in school is pointless. You'll barely use any English, Science, Math, or Social Studies you "learn" in your career.

5. The education is crap. It's bad enough your forced to learn it's even WORSE that what your forced to learn is crap. Dull worksheets, test, quizzes and other crap are your assignments. Yeah they can be fun at times but the classroom could be such a much more exciting place to learn.

6. It's a form of state control. The government gets to watch over YOUR KIDS. The government gets to make YOUR KIDS work. The government gets to control YOUR KIDS. Forced education dumbs down society training to think in collective thought, act a certain way and accomplish certain things. To mindlessly serve society in terms of goods and services a.k.a the economy.

7. It's a strain on kids. Being pressured to make good grades, get credit for college, getting into a college, dealing with bullies etc. really takes a toll on kids. They need a break for a lot of this and they don't get it!

8. It's taking away parents rights. Once you take your kids to school they're not your kids anymore they belong to the school. The school is responsible for their safety and well being. They're not allowed to leave campus even if they're responsible enough to do so. You don't get to parent your kid anymore for the time being.

9. It produces a bad society. People (in general) in school are boring. They don't care about others or what they're learning. They don't have the right environment to strive for this is all there exposed to. This in turn leads to a dull society of mindless workers and non-creative thinkers. It leads to a selfish society.

10. Last and final reason... It just doesn't help. Forcing kids to go to school doesn't make them learn it just doesn't! Kids are still going to fail, skip classes, misbehave so on and so forth. If they don't want to learn... If they don't want to be here... Then they're not going to learn!

So what needs to change? Everything about education needs to change. It needs to be optional no matter what they age! The only people who should be able to force you into school should be your parents! Your legal guardians! Not the government. Not society. You are an individual you get to control your life. How about this if the kid wants to go to school the parent legally has to take them. If the parent wants the kid to go to school the kid has to legally go to school. If none of them wants to go to school they don't have to. As long as the parent can take care of the kid (feed, cloth etc.) for the time being the kid doesn't have to be taken away. When I get older when I have more options I'm going to protest for optional education all the way all over America. I'll find people who agree with me and we'll band together to make it happen. To truly improve education and society!

Side: Private/voluntary
1 point

I tend to lean more towards education being compulsory because honestly education is really important. If you want to live a happy life and enjoy what is in store for you, you certainly need to get educated. A good paying job, a good social reputation are a few of the many benefits of being an educated person. Education is a must for a secure future and stable life. Education saves you from being exploited and fooled. We live in a country where we enjoy a number of rights and freedom. It is easier to take advantage of innocent and illiterate people. They may be trapped into signing false documents or be deprived of some right which they have because unlike an educated person they are not well aware of their rights and freedoms. Over all I think education is very important and should be compulsory.

Side: Private/voluntary