AGE OF REASON ?

It seems that a new initiative from the Government is to require young people in the UK (or is it only in England ?) to remain in education until the age of 18. There will even be some form of nebulous sanctions for those who refuse to comply.

Leaving aside the obvious questions, such as 'if they didn't learn anything by 16, what difference will another 2 years make ?', this issue raises a whole raft of questions about the assorted ages of responsibility in this country.

The age of criminal responsibility is currently 10, although the Children's Society wants that limit raised to 14. At 14, a child can drink alcohol with a meal; at 16 they can be legally married with parental consent and some want them to be entitled to vote at this age. At 16½ they can join the armed forces, though they cannot engage in active conflict until aged 18; at 17 they can drive a car legally on public roads; at 18 they can vote and buy alcohol legally and, later this year, will be able to buy cigarettes legally, too; at 21 they can stand for Parliament.

Is not this mish-mash of ages of responsibility completely non-sensical ? Can it make sense that someone can be married at 16 and yet be compelled to remain in education until they are 18 ? Is there any logic in allowing a child to run riot on our roads with a potentially lethal weapon, a car, at 17, while not allowing them to make the personal choice of buying cigarettes or alcohol until they are 18 ? They can be killed for their country at 18, but cannot represent themselves, or others, in Parliament until they are 21.

Let us be sensible. Instead of raising the age limit for compulsory education to 18, let us ensure that there is good and proper education up to 14; let us remove the vast array of mickey-mouse subjects from the curriculum and instead concentrate on good old-fashioned reading, writing and arithmetic, basic geography and history, proper science. With a solid grounding in these subjects it will be much easier for our children to determine a future path through life; for some that will mean remaining at school and for some of these it will lead to further education in appropriate institutions - not all going to the dreaded 'Uni', but to a range of establishments that are designed to deliver education and training as is appropriate in each case. For those who are not inclined to an academic progression, apprenticeships and night school should be the norm, but it should be for the individual to determine what is best for them.

Enforced education is unworkable, as anyone who has attempted to teach an unwilling class will testify. It is a recipe for increased laziness and loutish behaviour, particularly when the students are near-adulthood and there is no effective disciplinary means at hand. Of course, from the Government's point of view, it will keep a few thousand more off of the unemployment register, further massaging the already grossly understated figures.

Age of Reason ? You must be kidding !