SCHOOL AGE TO RISE TO 17

SCHOOL AGE TO RISE TO 17

It never ceases to amaze me how Government, Politicians and so called experts can be so out of touch with the people they supposed to represent, in this particular case I refer to increasing the age a Young person has to stay at school or should I say full time education. Young people and children in to day’s British society are very difficult to deal with for many reasons, a big majority detest School and some even hate it so how they going to benefit from staying on till their 17 years old? This troublesome group of teenagers can cause havoc in a school by their disruptive behaviour a lot get tarred with they trouble makers, yobs, prison fodder yet in reality they are a group of young people who find no interest in the school system, they find it boring and the teachers patronising.
My idea is when a youngster reaches the end of the secondary 4th year i.e. 15 to 16 years old they should be allowed to leave School if they have a full time job with a contract no matter what the employment, if they do not have this they will not be able to leave until 17. This will encourage youngsters to behave in school with the knowledge that they will need a good reference to find a job, they will come the influence of mature adults who will become their role models rather then listening to a group of other youngsters who normally spout a load of rubbish based on something a celebrity said. I left school and went to work on A Hinge and Son Farmers as an Agricultural Apprentice at 15 years 3 months of age; it was the best introduction to the real world there could be. I was expected to work hard, be reliable, good timekeeper, honest and have loyalty to the firm, yes all these things could taught in school but that was just theory this was practical hands on. When you came in bragging about some idiotic teenage escapade you performed at the weekend there would always be one old timer who tells you belt up and stop talking rubbish but at the same another one would pull you to one side and give you advice. This was real education some thing a school could never give.
Today we are obsessed with getting our youngsters to University and if they do not go society treats them as failures and inferior yet I know many people of my age and younger who has become very successful business man employing hundreds of people some with University degrees. Some started as apprentices some just as labourers and should success be just counted in financial terms what about all those people who become involved in community based projects, Scouts, Cubs, Football teams etc in my own sports of Judo and Sombo there has been many a top Black Belt and Coaches who have mundane work yet in my eyes they are still a success.
The reason Government etc have increased the age to 17 is not for the benefit of the Young People it is for their benefit it brings down unemployment and give the smockscreen that they care about the education of young people.


Martin Clarke