Human Capital Education and Economic Development

Question: Discuss about the Human Capital for Education and Economic Development. Answer: Introduction: The right to education is considered as a basic human right and hence it establishes an entitlement for free education for all, at least compulsory primary vision for all the children. It also involves an obligation to provide secondary education that is accessible to all and also to provide easy access to higher education. In this way, the right to education can be considered as one of the basic human rights. At the same time, the right to education also works for eliminating discrimination at all levels of educational system, establish minimum standards in this regard and also for improving the quality of education. In this context it is required that the purpose of education is to ensure full development of human personality and also to strengthen the respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights. On the other hand, the purpose of human rights is to promote understanding and cordial relations among all the nations, racial groups and religions and also to support the activities of United Nations related with the maintenance of peace. Under these circumstances, it can be said that the right to education is one of the most fundamental human rights. The reason is that with the help of education, an individual freedom is provided to a person and it also shows the right way of life by changing the thinking of the person and making the person intelligent (Rosangela, Lopez-Calva and Patrinos, 2005). What is Right to Education: Under these circumstances, an issues may arise as to what is the right to education? Education is considered as one of the most significant things in the life of a person. It has a significant effect on the mind of the person and changes the character of the person. Due to these reasons, the right to education is considered as an inherent right (Kattan and Burnett, 2004). As a result, education plays a significant role in the life of a person and in the same way, it has a considerable impact on the development of an individual. Consequently, if education is made free for everyone by the government, it can be considered as a very significant step towards achieving the rapid development of the society. It is also worth mentioning that all parents want that their children should receive good education in schools and colleges but in many cases, as a result of lack of resources, they cannot provide even the basic education to their children. On the other hand, if education is made free, i t will be ensured that each and every person gets the right to receive education even if they cannot afford to pay for it (Gertler and Glewwe, 1990). At the same time, the step taken by the government to make education free for all will also establish an example for the society. It will show that if a person has strong will and determination to receive education and prosper, the lack of money will not come in the way of such a person. If education is made free at all levels, even the persons who have the talent to receive best quality education and guidance but could not do so as they cannot afford to pay the fee, will also be able to get the right direction for their talent. In this way, if education is made free, each and every person will get an equal chance to succeed in life. At the same time, by making education free, the literacy rate will also increase and this in turn will help in the development of the nation (Todoro and Smith, 2003). It has been seen that the countries that have a higher rate of literacy, have been able to achieve higher rate of development also. Therefore if education is made free for all, most of the people in the country will be educated and it will create a positive environment for development in the society. This will also result in a decrease in the crimes in the society. Similarly, by making most of the people educated, they will also become more responsible (Klaus, 2003). Hence, it is very important that the government should place more emphasis on education and make it free at all levels. As is the case with other basic rights like food and shelter, education is also a basic right and therefore it should be free for all. Arguments Against Free Education: On the other hand, there are certain persons who are against the idea of providing free education to all. The result is that providing free education at all levels have become a controversial subject. The persons who are against this idea generally speak of the huge expenditure that will be involved in providing education free of cost to all the persons and at all the levels. But these persons should be reminded the benefits of providing free education to the country and also the economy of the nation (Asian Development Bank, 2003). Another argument that is given against providing free education at all levels is that education is becoming very costly to fund as the universities continue to grow in size. As a result, the fee paid by the students helps in maintaining the standard of education and also ensuring high quality teaching. At the same time, these persons also claimed that most of the students will also benefit from the University in the form of higher paid jobs therefore it will be fair if the students are asked to pay at least a part of the cost of their education, particularly in view of the fact that most of the students attending universities come from middle-class families. Another argument that is given against providing free education is that in a number of countries, a shortage is felt of the people who can do manual jobs like carpentry and plumbing. Therefore, if the university education is made more expensive, the people will be encouraged to take up these jobs (Emmanuel and Reinikka, 1998). Bu t the arguments that can be given in favor of providing free education to persons of all economic backgrounds outweigh the arguments that can be given against it. The major argument that can be given in favor of free education for all is that such a situation will encourage more and more people to take part in the education system and such situation will be hugely beneficial for the society. The reason is that it will result in more productive and educated workforce. Free Education is Necessary: There are a lot of young people who come from poor families but are very talented. In this regard numerous examples can be given of the distinguished persons who have been raised in poverty. On the other hand if education is available only to the fortunate few, this situation cannot be described as fair. Moreover, such as situation will not be ready conducive for the development of the nation. The reason is that as a lack of money and resources, a lot of talented persons will not be able to contribute in the development of the nation as their skills could not be discovered and developed due to the lack of proper training. Conclusion: Therefore in the end, it can be said that education should be free for all as such a situation is not only fair but it also ensures that the nation develops and becomes prosperous with the help of a well-educated workforce. References Ablo, Emmanuel, and Ritva Reinikka (1998) Do Budgets Really Matter? Evidence for Public Spending on Education and Health in Uganda Asian Development Bank (2003). Our Framework: Policies and Strategies, Education. ADB. Manila, Philippines Bando, Rosangela, Luis F. Lopez-Calva, and Harry Anthony Patrinos (2005) Child Labor, School Attendance, and Indigenous Households: Evidence from Mexico. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3487, World Bank, Washington, DC Bentaouet Kattan, Raja and Nicholas Burnett (2004) User Fees in Primary Education, Education for All Working Paper, World Bank, Washington, DC Deininger, Klaus (2003). Does Cost of Schooling Affect Enrollment by the Poor? Universal Primary Education in Uganda Economics of Education Review 22, pp: 291-305 Gertler, Paul and Paul Glewwe (1990) The Willingness to Pay for Education in Developing Countries Journal of Public Economics, 42: 251-275 Todoro, Michael and Stephen Smith, 2003, Human Capital: Education and Health in Economic Development Economic Development, United Kingdom