Education Reviews

Educational qualifications can be, and often are used to maintain the status quo – the existing social order. When I lived in the Netherlands, you had to have qualifications to be able to open a shop. Sounds fair enough, you might say, but the exams were only available in Dutch, which is not one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world.

If Mohamed Al-Fayed, the owner of Harrods, wanted to open a shop in the Netherlands, he would have to learn Dutch or circumvent the regulations by hiring local managers.

While I can see the need for people (shop keepers in this case) to provide evidence of an understanding of the law of the land, some countries take it too far. They make education a weapon of class warfare.

After all, it allows the ruling class to say that they are only trying to raise standards, while not providing the means for the poor to reach those standards. By not providing a universal education, they are in fact ensuring that the best jobs stay with the richest families.

There is a subtle way of modifying this scheme so as to make the gentry look innocent – they can put schools in every village and then stock them with low-grade teachers by making the wages and conditions awful, and simultaneously open the universities to all who have reached the requisite level of education.

This method also keeps the riff-raff out but allows the rich to maintain the illusion that a university education is open to all. This is the most common tactic in the Developing World.

In richer countries like Europe and America, the glass ceiling is put in place by making higher education expensive and offering ‘cheap loans’ to students who wish to continue their education.

In the UK, at the moment, the cap on university fees is about $14,000 per annum, so after a typical three tear course, a student comes away with a degree, which is no longer a guarantee of a job, and a $40,000 overdraft.

That is enough to deter the riff-raff too.

So what is the solution to this subtle form of the poverty, or at least, the social status trap?

Means-tested grants used to work just fine.

A student has to be able to embark on an educational course without having the distraction of worrying about money. Rich kids don’t have to worry about their finances at or after university, so why should poor kids? Let’s make it fair.

Britain as a whole had this enviable system for decades, but Scotland is the only country within the UK to maintain it. Welsh students have to pay something, I think, but not as much as English kids.

This will probably result in more Scottish and Welsh graduates per head of population than English ones in the near future. The Celts will love that, but it doesn’t seem fair on the English working class.

One of the reasons why Lek in ‘Behind The Smile’ did not stay at school was because the family thought the the cost seemed to be too high for the benefits that they could see it delivering. This is not the state’s direct fault, but it does result from a lack of ambition in people who have never known anyone in their family go to university.

Behind The Smile : ISBN: 978-1-475-21688-2 : Published by CreateSpace 19-4-2012 : Paperback and eBook.

Although it should come as no surprise, there are a variety of ways for schools and educators to make money online. While the opportunities are endless, one recent concept has emerged, and thats the notion of selling goods and services through an educational auction and freelance network.

One of the more obvious ways that schools and educators can make money is by selling their unwanted materials and supplies online. The best way to get paid is through a trustworthy educational exchange website, where its free to list items, and a small fee is taken only when the item sells. You can sell items on behalf of the school, an individual, or a preschool or daycare.

If your colleagues are too busy to deal with selling their unwanted educational items, you can always assist them by listing their items for them, and then taking a percentage of their cut.

Educators and professionals can sell their services through the same educational networking website. By listing your areas of expertise, you can get hired to do the jobs that other educational professionals just dont have the time to complete.

You dont have to limit your moneymaking potential to selling goods and services you can also make money by being an affiliate. The gist of being an affiliate is that you indirectly promote the educational exchange site by sharing the link with interested parties and vendors. You receive money whenever your referral results in a transaction during the first year.

Why shouldnt schools and teachers make money in any way they can? You certainly cant depend upon your state and local government for additional help. Beyond selling magazines and submarine sandwiches to raise money, there has to be other avenues.

You can generate revenue by thinking creatively and showcasing your goods and services on the Internet. Youll find an entire pool of buyers online that you never knew existed. When you specifically use an educational exchange auction site, you can buy and sell almost anything related to the field of education.

Whether its janitorial supplies, puzzles, or televisions, there is a school or classroom that needs exactly what you have. You simply have to connect with the schools that need your old electronics or gym equipment. Perhaps you even have something brand new that you never used. Whatever youve got, take the time to list your items for free on a reliable educational networking website as soon as possible. Dont wait any longer to earn some extra money.