Finances and Social Statuses in Education

In our modern world, parents are increasingly under pressure to provide the best quality education available to their children in order for them to become a success in their lives. This issue was raised in The Sun Herald on Sunday 15 September 2013, the article named “Parents anxious to educate babies” discussing the worries of parents in being able to afford these new services and educational innovations for their infant children. Written by Rachel Browne, the article focuses on a Social Policy Research Centre researcher from the University of New South Wales called Ciara Smyth and her research into the strain that parents feel financially under our Australian school systems.

The article discusses the first three or four years of a child’s life in which the most learning occurs as they grow to be able to walk and talk, and also to think independently. However, I disagree with its suggestion that children need music lessons, Orchestra CDs, DVDS and art collections (Browne, 2013) at this point in their lives in order to stimulate and make an impression on their imagination. Following Piaget’s theory of brain development, the Pre-Operational Stage which covers the ages of 2-7 sees a child immersed in a world already full of imagination, creating imaginary friends, constantly playing (Gaumer, Arnone & Ashley-Cotleur, p.220-221) and attempting to discover everything they can about the world. They shouldn't need excessive technology to stimulate their senses and minds.

In my opinion, this topic of expenses in education boils down into the rivalry between public and private schools and the quality of learning that each provides. Unfortunately, world history has always seen a gap between the rich and poor and the access of each to a proper education, lower working class families often struggling to afford the privileged quality of education offered by private schools (Sikes & Vincent, 2006, p.466). Attending only public schools I’ve learned that due to being funded purely by the government and low school fees, the facilities of public schools are far inferior to those of private schools, and that public school students often need to invest in extra private tuition in order to successfully rival the private school system’s academic standard. Parents, however, should not feel that they have to spend all their money on their child’s education. Inevitably, every child learns at a different pace no matter what circumstances we put them in, and it is my strong belief that social status should not be a determining factor in the quality of one’s education.

As there is no way for us to equalize all social classes, therefore, the responsibility rests on parents to have the initiative to seek out the best quality and least financially draining means of educating their children. I believe that today’s society puts too much strain and pressure on parents to exhaust their wallets for their children from the day they’re born. The initial four years of a child’s life should be free of technology and excessive commercial products to allow the child to start to develop his/her own personal identity and aspirations. Finances should be saved for the proper education of a child in a high school that will allow them to continue to live their own dreams and create a bright future for themselves.

References:

·   Browne, R; "Parents anxious to educate babies"; The Sun Herald, published 15 September 2013.

·      Gaumer, C. J., Arnone, C. S., & Ashley-Cotleur, C.; “Child Influence: Depth Interviews with Pre-Operational Child Consumers and Their Parents”; Journal of Food Products Marketing; 19:3; DOI: 10.1080/10454446.2013.724367; (London: Routledge, 2013).

·      Sikes, P & Vincent, C; “Social justice and education policy: an introduction”, Journal of Education Policy, 13:4, 463-467, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0268093980130401; (London: Routledge, 1998).