argumentative essay on education is a privilege not a right

Education should be a right not a privilege Report (Assessment)

Introduction, impact of rights on education, the role of choice.

Education should be a right not a privilege. This argument stems from a basic understanding of a right. If something is a right, then its removal should cause negative consequences. However, if people treat it as a privilege, then its negation should cause neutral repercussions. The removal of education can cause severe consequences, so this illustrates that education ought to be a right.

The United Nations recognizes education as a basic right as outlined in its charter. It argues that every child is entitled to free basic or fundamental education in Article 26. Many believe that this will contribute towards the betterment of society.

Education is required to foster societal development; if it is made into a privilege, then societies will not prosper. Such an approach will undermine economic, social and political development in the nation.

Education is an avenue for teaching young people about the importance of discipline, respect for authority and rules. These things can be taught easily when education is a right. However, if it is a privilege, then the prerogative will be on parents and guardians, yet some of them may not do this very well.

Education also facilitates the detection of dangerous situations like abuse and neglect in homes. It is imperative to make schooling a right in order to address these concerns.

Making education a right would cause adults to invest in their future professionals. Members of society require the services of doctors, lawyers, mechanics, and electricians. When schooling is a right, society would contribute towards the creation of such important members of society, so it should be treated as such.

Lastly, education creates an intelligent society that is highly democratic. In fact, former dictators (like Hitler) have tried to undermine education so as to oppress their followers. If education is turned into a privilege, then the democratic principles that this country boasts about would be severely undermined.

Students’ rights play a tremendous role in education because it is their needs that ought to be protected through schooling. Concerns about their ability to control or safeguard their lives have caused most stakeholders to advocate for compulsory schooling. Family rights also come into play because some households lack the financial capability of paying for their children’s education.

This means that an external structure ought to come into place in order to safeguard their rights. Lastly, societal rights contribute to education because one must consider the developmental and social needs of society. These can only be accommodated if all of society has access to at least a basic form of schooling.

Choice should come into play when free education starts to become ineffective or when parents need to safeguard their children against the pitfalls of the public system. Sometimes making education a right can lead to resource shortages, hence poor educational outcomes (Herbst, 2006). Parents should have the choice of taking their children to private schools if this is the case.

Sometimes parents may wish to teach their children certain values or focus on certain areas of specialty; this is where charter schools or private schools come into play. For instance, they may take their children to Catholic schools in order to teach them those religious values. Therefore, parents should have a choice when they wish to pursue greater efficiency or specialty.

Herbst, J. (2006). School choice and school governance: a historical study of the United States and Germany . New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

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The Knight Crier

EDITORIAL: Education is a privilege, not a right

Abigail Puketza , Staff Writer | February 28, 2019

Abigail Puketza

In America, the gift of knowledge has been watered down by tests, homework, and the constant pressure to succeed. KC writer Abigail Puketza discusses a solution.

The importance of education in today’s society has been pushed under the rug. When asked to list what they are thankful for, knowledge is not usually found on an average person’s list. In reality, education in America is something that is taken for granted and seen as a right instead of a privilege.

Without education, the completion of day-to-day activities would not be feasible due to basic skills like reading, writing, and math being the foundations of society. Americans are extremely lucky to have the public school system, a luxury not available to many poor countries. Americans take this gift of education for granted and do not truly appreciate what they have, which leads to a lack of interest in the material taught in schools; what was once exciting becomes monotonous. Looking at high school education as a whole, it becomes apparent that its flaws are creating wounds in America’s youth, and the fact that students see school as a chore instead of an opportunity to learn is causing the dilution of knowledge.

Part of this problem stems from the fact that public schools put an unhealthy amount of emphasis on performance and add undue pressure on their students. It is safe to say that almost every student across the country struggles with school-related stress. Teachers of high-level classes pile on hours of homework a night, causing some kids to have to stay up until midnight or later in order to complete all their homework due to their other obligations such as sports, clubs, theater, chores, work, and other activities that steal time away from their day. An immense amount of pressure is put on students by teachers and parents alike to get perfect grades so they can go to elite colleges in order to get high paying jobs.

Students study the material taught to them so they can get an A on the test and an A in the class, not because they are intrigued by new information or want to broaden their knowledge. Some parents get upset at their children when they receive a B on a quiz or test. A B is nowhere near a failing grade, but many parents see it as less than perfect so they scold their children and make them afraid to fail. This unhealthy standard of perfection produces two different types of students: hardworking and diligent ones, or more often, ones who cut corners to get ahead.

When a student cheats on a quiz, test, or even homework, they are only hurting themselves. Copying one homework assignment might not seem like a big deal. Students have packed schedules, and a ten point math worksheet is not high on their totem pole of priorities. However, one worksheet turns into one test they did not have time to study for, or a quiz on a topic they did not feel like reviewing. The pressure from parents to get straight As and from teachers to prepare for college applications can cause an upstanding student to compromise on his or her morals.

Since the public school system’s view on education has become askew, students see the homework and tests as pointless, annoying, and an overall burden. Even if the student is at the top of their class, in all Advanced Placement courses, and on their way to an Ivy League school, most of their conversations consist of complaints about a teacher or a test they took in the previous period. Hard work and perseverance is what produces good character, and when one aspect of a person’s character is compromised, like integrity by cheating on a test, it can have lasting effects.

Constantly cutting corners becomes a bad habit that will stick with a person for the rest of his or her life. This willingness to take a shortcut to get ahead causes the importance of education to become watered down and ends up harming the student, if not in the moment then later on in their lives when they are faced with difficulty in the workplace and do not know how to face it head on and persevere.

Education used to be something that was exciting and inspiring. In kindergarten, every time I went to the library, I would check out a different nonfiction book about a different kind of animal. In elementary school, students were excited and curious about reading, but now teachers can barely get students to read a book assigned in class.

The pure passion of learning has been washed away by the pressure and stress that school causes. Students settle for Sparknotes, and therefore miss out on the new knowledge that the opening of a book brings. By taking shortcuts, students accept their fate and settle for average. Being passionate about what is learned is essential to the success of students. Students need to relearn the art of finding “delight” in what they learn so that they are eager and excited to go to class every day.

Students are much more motivated to give their one hundred percent when they find enjoyment in what they are doing, like when they were in elementary school. However, this is not the case, so education becomes a stumbling block that harms the student when he or she does not take responsibility for education and cuts corners.

The only way to solve this problem is to change the way the material is taught in school and to change how school itself is perceived. First of all, not every kid is going to fall in love with every subject. We each have our own strengths. So, students should have more freedom to choose the classes they enjoy participating in. If a student’s strength is math, then they should not be forced to take world history, and vice versa. Students should also have more freedom in what books they read, because when I am excited about a book, I cannot put it down. I have not felt that way about a book assigned to me in school since middle school. Yes, the classics are important, but every book should not be force-fed down our throats.

Secondly, the way school is viewed needs to change, which will start to happen once there is more fluidity in the curriculum. Students see school now as a burden, but if the homework load is decreased, not as many assignments are graded, and pressure from parents is diminished, then students will find joy in school and find that childlike curiosity that has been lost over the years of tests and homework.

This will not be an overnight shift, but if we take small steps, one day education will not be a seen as pointed at students, and we can really appreciate the amazing gift we have.

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Debbie • Jul 5, 2019 at 11:52 pm

Being from the US and a witness to the inequities of institutional racism and sexism I whole heartedly disagree with you. In our very wealthy society education was used as a means to keep people subservient. Poor schools lacked resources thus perpetuating inequities which translated to social inequity. If you were poor it was a way of keeping you poor. Yes we view a lot of things as entitlement but education is in the books as a civil right because President Johnson as a former teacher understood inequity and said all persons in a democracy should be educated and President Obama added to President Johnson’s mandate that all students should graduate ready for college or career. Yes we have overworked students yes we have inadequately prepared teachers but that does not mean we do not value education.

Tanakah Admire Chamaida • Jun 2, 2019 at 11:17 am

Being born and bred in a society where everyone believes in education as a tool and a key to success doesnt qualifies it to be a right.After a strong realisation that in Zimbabwe it was made a constitutional right after they want to disqualify and qualify some individuals in certain aspects.But being a constitutional right doesnt make it a real right.Education is a priviledge not a right.

Yusuf Amin • Feb 28, 2019 at 12:20 pm

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/charles-eliot-saw-promise-public-high-schools/582967/ It couldn’t have been verbalized and agreeably more from us, consciously and/or unconsciously.

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Is Education A Right Or A Privilege?

Posted on November 4, 2018 by the Editor

The fact that education might be a right or might be a privilege is a very pertinent topic I think we should talk about. This topic is really debatable due to the fact that opinions vary depending on people’s vision of the word education, some people are for the fact that education it is a right while others are for the fact that education is a

privilege. But before arriving to that we first need to know what is education. Education is the transmission of knowledge, values and habits, education is not just a matter of book learning but equally the acquisition of knowledge that might be helpful in order to adapt to society or even in your daily life; an example can be learning how to cook. From this definition, one can therefore have his own perception of education on whether it is a right or it is a privilege. But before having a perception on something we first need to know its importance, so what is the importance of education?

To begin, in today’s society, for one to be able to earn a good living and have a good living condition he must be educated. This can be justified by the fact that the society in which we live is built in such a way that the easiest way to earn a living is to pass through education, be it passing through school or even a farmer teaching his son how to farm.

Another reason is that when counting on education it brings in a

positive mind set since logically, counting on education is a safer decision hence it assures that someone who has been educated has an assured life.

Also, in order to adapt in the society and be acceptable by others one must be educated, in order that values be transmitted so as to facilitate socialisation.

One of the reasons why education is important is equally because it brings in respect and confidence. The reason why it brings in respect and confidence is first because concerning respect, in our society in order to stand before an authority and be able to express what you think or for your opinion to be considered, you must be educated. Also, educated people are very respected due to the knowledge they have – it brings in admiration for the educated one.

Education is equally important because it gives us the opportunity to learn on different things that are useful in our daily lives and that can be productive. Some of the things we can learn are how to treat  acough in a home-made method or even learning how to cook, it is equally useful because it helps us to analyse situations critically and make logical decisions and make us able develop productive ideas and avoid making or repeating errors which can ensure a better future for the up-coming generation which will then ensure a better standard of living.

So these are some of the reasons for the importance of education, from which one can therefore have his own perception of education, on whether it is a right or a privilege, but what are the reasons why someone can perceive education as a right or as a privilege ?

The reason why education can be perceived as a right is  because education is a human right which implies that everybody should pass through education no matter his sex, nationality or any other thing and cannot be taken away for any reason. Which implies that legally and according to the government education is a right. But even though education is officially said to be a right, in some cases education can be revealed to be a privilege. This can be justified by the fact that not everybody has access to education. The reason for this is because education is said to be a right but there is a critical hindrance which is the issue of money mostly in less industrialised countries. This is due to the fact that not everybody has a high standard of living and are not able to provide education to their children, which therefore explain why some people say education is a privilege because in some cases if you do not have the privilege to be wealthy you therefore cannot have access to education which means in other words that one does not have the privilege to pass through education.

These are then some reasons why some people see education as a right and others as a privilege but my own point of view is that education is a right, this is because even though one cannot have the privilege to be educated it does not remove the fact that it is a right for him to be educated, no matter someone’s origins, sex or even financial status he has the right to education, it is not just a matter of having the means to be educated or any other reason, education is a right and cannot be taken away for any reason.

34 comments on “ Is Education A Right Or A Privilege? ”

I think you should’ve started with “what’s right and what’s privilege” before going to education

I would be very grateful if you could show me the difference in the way of California law. I’m having an issue with the schools here

omg this text is sooooo boring

Hello, @poop. I tracked your IP address, and I believe you live in Wanaka, New Zealand, and are at Mount Aspiring College.

Cheers, MustafarHacker2

OMG LOL!!! I havent seen u in forever

Hey! I just met you and this is crazy! so here’s my number and call me baby

stop……

im concerned

Hi guys. I think it’s really disrespectful what you’ve been commenting. *Sarcasm implied*

im sorry miss. i will stop

wut is right or privelage ??

Are you in mr kelly’s class incognito?

also do all u bozos go tah MAC

Hi jack no, i do not go to MAC, in fact i am a fully grown man i have been spying on you for a while and i know your address

im not jack

grandpa omg go to bed I thought I took the internet away from you…

good article but I guess everyone is a man because you keep referring to he/him pronouns

Yeah good observation. YAAASSSSS QUEEN!!!

use he/him pronouns

im so c nfursed

who is that person in chinese or japanese i dont know

i dont know

I am a fully grown man and currently rapidly approaching MAC right now jack and charlie, i know all of your personal information and will come for you very soon, Better watch out! 🙂

If you go to MAC and your name is Jack or Charlie get of the chat and get to work or Mr Kelly wont let u go to break. ME AND I LOVE POOP 1234 ARE COMING FOR UUUUUUUU

This write up is useful to me. Needed some points to enrich my essay. Thanks alot be encouraged. It is not boring at all. I most especially like your last paragraph stating the reason why you think it is a right and it makes sense. 👍

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Access to education is not a privilege, it’s a right. And yet, 61 million children are not in school, most of them girls. Educating children no matter where they are is one of the biggest steps we can take toward ending extreme poverty. The Global Partnership for Education is the only multilateral partnership devoted to getting all these children into school for a quality education. To make this happen, we work together with a diverse group of governments, civil society/non-governmental organizations, international organizations, private sector, and teachers.

Teachers are particularly important because learning happens between student and teacher. Take a look at one of our recent blog posts about Pov who has been working as a teacher in Cambodia for the past 25 years. She says: “Investing in education is investing in the future of the country and therefore should have high priority. It is not only important for economic reasons but also because we have a commitment to children to fulfill their right to education. This means that we have to find ways to include the children that are currently out of school. This means that we need more teachers, more classrooms, ongoing training for teachers, a variety of educational materials and an effective curriculum to make sure children can read and write when they leave school and that they are provided with the necessary basic skills to participate well in their communities.”

The Global Poverty Project’s video highlights that a child’s dreams can come true with the right education and that it is our joint responsibility to help children realize their dreams. We were proud to be a part of the Global Citizen Festival concert where this video premiered, and where GPE pledged $500 million for education in areas affected by conflict and humanitarian emergencies. After you’ve looked at the video, tell us why you think education is important, and get involved in our work to help children learn and grow.

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Talking about the education as a right or a privilege I would say that should be a RIGHT. In some countries it is, however we always need to spend some money on education. But I would say as well that in some other countries it is a PRIVILEGE. Getting back to the point, it should be a RIGHT until a certain age, because people must be conscientious that education as from family, society and life as from school is really necessary to a society be developed, to know how do we need to behave thinking about the future and the people who surround us. In other hand we are directly involved by education, because day-by-day we are learning new things new experiences. So on these points we can include bad things that we learn too, which mostly we think those are good and pleasurable things, but only at that moment. Getting this point I would say and include the Social Media as a bad influence to the new generate-education, I cannot explain why but I truly believe on this and I know this is true, because mostly of the time it influencing me, like music, I cannot stand without listen to music. So based on these points and other that were not mentioned, I totally agree with EDUCATION as a RIGHT. It is a part of the society.

In reply to Is education a Right or Privilege? by Victor Morais

I say it is a right because us kids we need,no it is our right to learn and get education.We need education!We have to get education!It is our right!

In reply to Right by Crystal

Sorry, but you can’t award yourself a “right” based upon your subjective feelings. In some countries, education is formally enshrined as a “right” to its citizens. In others, it is not. It all depends upon the Constitution of the particular nation or State.

It is and should be a privilege. Like anything with real value it should be earned. If it's just given away it no longer holds any value. Pretty basic;)

In reply to Privilege by foghead

Such a narrow view to consider education a privilege. The real value of education comes when it is offered to those who cannot afford it. The progress of mankind, can only be done if we offer education to all minds. This will create opportunities that will make everyone's life better. Just think at the return on the investment, if one kid, without access to education but brilliant, receives the education and through his work he discovers something that has the potential to improve everyone's life. And the downside... keep him in the dark. his mind will be wasted. how many opportunities haven't we waste? I think that education is not even a right... it is a necessity. Cheers.

In reply to about education by Lucian Fulger

I think educativo is a right and a priviledge people should be able to get an education no matter what their backgrownd is, but also they should value all the tools that they are given just by being respectivo with their teachers and classmates. Some Kiss just manipulate education yo their own individual benefit and take ir for grandes especialista trouble children with anger issues and such

Great post and we also took an initiative to support this truth!

The team of Principal Nation think that education must be available for all without discrimination. It must be affordable; in fact primary education must be free for those who need this. And it must be adaptable so that it meets the different circumstances and changing needs of each individual student. Our main motto is to expand early childhood and education. Provide free and compulsory primary education for all and Improve the quality of education. Underlying each of these goals there is recognition of and respect for the right to quality education. Full realization of the right to education is not merely a question of access. A rights-based approach to Education for All is a holistic one, encompassing access to education, educational quality (based on human rights values and principles) and the environment in which education is provided.

You can support them by making a contribution to the funds of Principal Nation Primary School. Help them to stop child labor. You can see there details at: http://principalnation.jprinfoserve.com/

In reply to Education is a Right, Not a Privilege by Akash Roy

The perceived value of a product or service does not determine its status as a right or privilege. And there is absolutely no such thing as a “free” education. Teachers and staff are paid, construction labor and materials cost money as does routine maintenance. The money must be paid by someone. Education itself is a privilege. Equal access (i.e., non-discrimination) to these services is a right in most countries.

All humans deserve and education. Just because of your race, color, gender, or religion does not mean you don't have a future. Everyone has a right to an education, females tend to be a lot smarter then males. most kids want to go to school, and most kids would rather stay home. Just do what you got to do to get away and be an adult.

When I visited Kenya, I had about 8000 children around me begging me to find them sponsors so that they could go to school. In Kenya, the government does not even have schools (unless only for the children of government employees), much less pay for children to go. The only schools I saw were little tiny ones operated by humanitarian relief organizations like "World Vision" and "Compassion International" and also little individual pastors struggling to educate the children of their communities. It's very sad that Kenya is apparently one of the richest countries in Africa due to Safari business, but the government does not in any way whatsoever share that money with the extremely poor citizens of the country, but instead line their own pockets while the parents go without food, and blankets and clothing and roofs over the head, and the children are lucky if they get to sleep under a roof or get to eat one meal a day, much less go to school. I'd like to know what is being done about "the educational rights of children" in countries like Kenya.. and Uganda; (In Uganda, the gov't only pays 1/2 the cost so the vast vast majority of children can not go unless someone from a more privileged country like the USA hands them or the school the money to cover the rest. The schools which do exist are very few, held together by timbers and falling apart and generally run by pastors and such until the gov't, shuts them down but does not provide them with a dime to make them safer or build their own schools.) I'm sure there are many more countries like this. I am adapting an episode for a cartoon from another country right now, and I find it very sad that they talk about education as a right to all children, but do not talk about the fact that in many countries children CAN NOT go to school because the governments are so utterly corrupt or the country is just too poor.

You do not have the right to other people's labor or property. Education requires other people's labor and/or property (in the case of automated education). Therefore, education is not a right.

However, you certainly do have the right to seek an education. As with many other things, you have the right to try to get it, and other people have the right to give it to you, but you do not have the right to get it.

In reply to Default Subject by <<<>>>

Actually, the United Nations enshrined education as a right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948. See article 26 of the Declaration here: https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

In short education is education

nice information keep sharing,nice article

Kids should have an education, it is nothing to discuss. the kids from today are the future and if they don't have an education our society and economy will be the one affected.

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This House believes that university education is a right not a privilege

The Oxford Union’s third official debate of Michaelmas term was a lively and at times confused affair, with the participants debating not only the merits of going to university, but also arguing over the semantics of the motion and even the merits of well-known TV programmes.

The first speaker for the proposition was Geraldine Van Bueren, a leading professor of International Human Rights Law at Queen Mary, University of London. “University education has started to be seen a privilege,” she began, “and privilege and equal opportunity do not go hand in hand.” Pointing to declining numbers of mature students, the professor brought up the examples of France and Austria, where university education costs hundreds of euros, and Denmark and Sweden, where it’s free.

Barnaby Lenon, former Head Master of Harrow School and Chairman of the Independent Schools Council, was the first speaker for the opposition. He opened by arguing that this issue is a product of the “everyone must now win prizes” mentality following the Second World War.  Mr. Lenon also argued that some degrees were not worth their value, suggesting “200,000 students getting degrees in business would be better off getting a job in a business.” He finished by warning against the notion of “equality of outcome,” saying: “Selection by ability has become taboo, but the idea of “excellence for all” is nonsense.”

The second speaker for the proposition, Will Hutton, began his argument by saying that “universities should be part of the society from which the originate, and not be above it.” He quoted £8,400 as the current average university student’s debt upon completing their degree, and said that “this will deter more and more people from entering higher education.” He also took direct aim at Mr. Lenon’s disapproval of degrees such as Communications, Business, and Marketing, and labelled the argument that universities should be more selective as a “siren call that would prevent people from common backgrounds from entering university.”

Tim Waterstone, second speaker for the opposition and the founder of the eponymous chain of book shops, first set out by defining the term “right”:

“No one has the right to be a scholar. You do have the right not to be discriminated against, but there is no guarantee to go to university.” He distinguished higher education from primary and secondary, which is free and accessible, “Children need to become aware of their rights, the consequences of their choices, and attention from society against adverse circumstances of birth.”

Aaron Porter, former President of the NUS, hit back forcefully against both Mr. Lenon and Mr. Waterstone, arguing that “the benefits of university education are for the whole society and the economy – it shouldn’t be linked to just a career path.” Mr. Porter also added, though “the argument about higher education shouldn’t be just about higher tuition fees,” he did believe “this plays a role in restricting the promotion of highly motivated individuals.”

The third speaker for the opposition, and perhaps the most anticipated of the night, was Spencer Matthews, the main star of the reality show Made in Chelsea, whose speech was hastily written on one side of a sheet of paper with the help of Union officers before the debate. Mr. Matthews posed the opening question, “Is university really for everyone?” He gave the example of his father and brother, “who didn’t go to university and turned out just fine.” He also raised doubts about the seriousness with which university education is pursued. “Would the state be proud of Jamie Lang, going to Leeds, hammered every day?” he asked, in reference to co-star in Made in Chelsea.

David Willetts began his speech as the fourth speaker on the proposition side with the claim that “the two biggest lies of tonight’s debate is that something should be a right for a minority, funded by general taxes, and that university access should necessarily be restricted to fewer numbers.” The Minister of State for Universities and Science claimed: “The adoption of the Robbins’ principle led to the obligation for funding universities to fall on the generality – that is, taxpayers – paying for a larger graduates, which can’t be fair.” At this point, however, Willett’s speech was interrupted by a group on the balcony which unfurled a large white banner above the Union Floor, onto which were painted the words “FUCK YOU DAVID WILLETTS (AND MADE IN CHELSEA IS SHIT TOO).”

Stephen Dorrell, MP for Charnwood, who was the last speaker on the opposition, concluded the debate by saying that “the last thing we need is for a human rights lawyer to swoop in and tell us how to run a government.” He added that human rights “is a fine basis to ensure basic rights,” but “not a good basis for policy-making.” He criticised Professor Van Bueren’s stance as “unenforceable with regard to universities.”

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