Schools have long been an integral part of people’s lives, paving the way for future success. To that end, some suggest that every student should study full-time until they reach adulthood. However, I believe that this is too generalized and restricting an approach.
Endorsing mandatory school time until a student turns 18 years old is somewhat dehumanizing. As human beings, we are hardwired to be unique in our own way. While some inherently find it difficult to cope with the daunting, time-intensive nature of education, others are fast-learners, getting the hang of subjects with only minimal practice. Setting a fixed graduation time may therefore frustrate such bright learners, as they find themselves trapped in this proverbial wormhole of unsuitable peers and understimulating education. It would, then, make sense to devise programs that allow particularly gifted students to get ahead and focus on their future career as soon as they are found ready.
This practice also fails to consider certain groups of people, the prime of which are those disinterested in an academic future. Take aspiring professional athletes, for example. Enforced full-time education until adulthood is likely to derail their future career. Swamped with homework and studies, these would-be sportsmen will find it virtually impossible to get in the 10,000 hours required to master their craft. In this way, future stars may never be born, without realizing their potential and succumbing to the norms set by the education system. This, on a large scale, translates to a lack of inspiration and originality among young people – the two most important skills to have in this modern world.
In conclusion, education is important, but confining all students to school for a full 18 years may prove counterproductive. After all, there is no universal metric to gauge students’ readiness for the future, especially if they are academically and physically gifted.