Should Students Be Paid To Go To School?

byAWEB MEDIA GROUP
July 2, 2022

Should students be paid to go to school? In this 21^st century, the debate is no longer whether one should go to school or not because the pros of education are so obvious all around us. All the development we see today, smartphones, electricity, artificial intelligence, robots, electric cars, aeroplanes, internet and so on, came from the minds of some educated fellows. In fact, if you are reading this, it is because you have some level of education.

The real issue confronting us now is; “Should students be paid to school”. Since the benefits of education are all so obvious around us, do we still need to pay students to go to school? In this article, you will get to know the pros and cons of students being paid to go to school. You will also get to know the different levels of education and why school is that important.

Why students should be paid to go to school

#1 Paying students to go to school serves as a form of motivation: Going to school can really be rigorous and tasking. Starting from having to wake up early in the morning, rushing to catch up with school bus, meeting up with submission of assignment, tackling difficult classwork, serving punishment, etc. The list is endless. A little cash at the end of the month in the hand of the student is really an encouragement and a push to strive for more.

#2 It will improve performance in school (academic-wise and others): When students are paid while in school, they get strongly motivated to push for success. More so, they don’t want to disappoint the sources from which the money is coming from. You don’t need to beg such students to attend class, do homework, stay up late in the night to study. They just do so willingly and excitedly and the result is better academic performance.

#3 Students could save up the money for higher education/college: Some students struggle to go through high school because their parents are low-income earners. These kind of students just manage to go through high school and don’t have plans for college or any other higher education because of funds. If such kind of students get some stipends every month, they will be able to save up for college.

#4 It reduces crime rates in the society: The more students we have in school, the safer our streets and communities will be. A number of children that play truancy around, pick-pocketing, forming gangs, are school drop-outs. When there are motivations (like monetary incentives), such children will leave the streets and go back to school. And then the streets can be safe again.

#5 Students can become more independent and responsible: When students get paid while in school, it makes them more independent. They can get to take care of some of their basic school needs without having to bother their parents.

#6 Student can start learning how to handle finances from a young age: Students can start learning how to handle money from a young age which will make them grow into responsible adults.

#7 Student would be more focused and attentive in class: Some students from very poor background find it hard to concentrate in class, at times some of them show up in school hungry and tired. If such students get monthly stipends, it will go a long way to help them. They can concentrate more in class, achieve better grades and would not need to drop-out.

#8 We would have a better society: When students are paid to go to school, there would be no need for students to drop-out of school again. The lesser drop-outs we have, the better our society becomes.

Why students should not be paid to go to school

#1 Education would lose its value: When students get paid to go to school, education will lose its real meaning to them. The real essence of education which includes acquiring knowledge, skills, values, morals, etc. may get missing along the line. Students will see education as just another means of having some extra incomes for ice-cream, burger, etc. And after graduating from school, the society may be faced with people that are so dependent and won’t stop needing support.

#2 Students will not have the right attitude to learning: A student that you pay to go to school most likely won’t have the right attitude to learning. He/she may just see school as an avenue to make some money and nothing more.

#3 Students may not be able to manage the money well: Because these students are still quite young, they may not be able to manage the money they received well enough. Some will end up squandering and wasting it on irrelevant stuffs.

#4 It can lead to students inculcating dangerous habits like smoking, drug abuse, alcohol, etc. Paying students to go to school may open them up to negative and dangerous habits like smoking, alcohol, drugs. This is because they have access to regular funds that can help sponsor such habits.

#5 Some people see it as a form of bribery: Paying students to go to school to some people may appear like manipulation/bribery. Why should you pay someone for what is expected of him? Such a person’s decision making will be affected negatively and he may make some foolish compromises in the future.

Why is school so important?

A school is simply an institution set up with learning spaces with the aim of educating students under the guidance of teachers. A school is set up to form and shape an individual into one that is moral, creative, independent and productive in the society. Below are some of the reasons school is important:

Knowledge empowers you: School is a place where you acquire the right knowledge on different fields. The knowledge acquired makes you valuable to the society. The knowledge can be used to solve problems, invent new things, help others, etc. For instance, in the past, people move on foot and animals and at times have to go on for days before they arrive their destination. But when some educated fellows invented cars, trains, aeroplanes, it became easier to move from place to place.

Dear reader, you may be the next famous scientist that will make serious inventions that will solve some of the current problems in the world. But the first step to making this dream come through is to get adequate education.

School develops you all round: School develops you totally as an individual. Going to school can really be rigorous and tasking. But the truth is this; those daily school activities do not leave you the same, it is forming something substantial in you. Those daily activities put in you skills and traits you will need to succeed in life, even long after school. Some of these skills and traits include: communication skills, relationship skills, hard work, diligence, persistence. perseverance, discipline, etc.

You will have access to better and lucrative jobs: When you go through school, you get to earn some certificate. With this certificate, you can bid for a high-income job and you get to live a more comfortable life.

An avenue to socialize rightly: School is a place to meet people of like-minds that you can even build a long-term relationship with, even after school. It is one of the best place to make quality and genuine friends. Some people even get to meet their spouse in school! Yes, it’s that serious!

Levels of Education

There are four basic levels of education:

Pre-school: This school is open to children between the ages of 2 and 5 years. The duration of learning in this school is 3 years. In pre-school, toddlers are being taught the fundamentals of reading, writing and mathematics. By the time a child is graduating from the pre-school, he/she would have been able to read, write and do simple mathematical operations.

Elementary/Primary School: This school’s program run for six years. Here children between ages 6 and 11 years learn the basics of mathematics, English and some other languages, communication, science, etc. This stage is so crucial that any error or malformation would affect that child throughout life.

Secondary School: The secondary school is divided into two:

Junior Secondary School: This last for 3 years and is for children between ages 12-14 years.

Senior Secondary School: This usually last for 3 years and is for teenagers between ages 15-17 years. In Africa, students in the final year sit for West African Examinations Board (WAEC) and are awarded O’Level certificate.

Post-Secondary Education: this is also known as tertiary education. It is the next level of education after completion of secondary school. Post-secondary schools include universities, colleges, trade and vocational schools. Students usually at the end gets a diploma, certification or academic degree.

Conclusion

Should students be paid to go to school or not? The answers are Yes and No. No, because, the benefits of education are innumerous and obvious, so there isn’t any need for additional motivation. Yes, because, some people actually need those funds most especially children from underprivileged and underdeveloped regions that can’t even afford to feed themselves. Such people should not only be paid to go to school, their school expenses should also be taken care of. So, this is where we can strike a balance, funds should be made available for students that are genuinely having financial difficulties. Only such students should be paid to go to school.