Economies in Education

I’m sorry the government has, as they put it, ‘ring fenced’ expenditure on schools, because there is a great deal of waste there. The waste is trying to teach bored and inattentive children, whose disruptive behaviour impedes the learning of others.

As a remedy I propose lowering the school leaving age to 13. By that age most children have learnt to read and write, and any who haven’t could be sent to special remedial literacy classes, with the incentive of being allowed to leave school only when they reach some minimum standard.

I do not believe many children would leave school at 13; the principal benefit of their departure would be an improvement in the achievements of those still at school.

Child benefit should not be paid for early leavers who would therefore need an occupation. I suggest domestic service. Food, clothes, accommodation and a little pocket money would be sufficient remuneration. To keep them out of mischief they could work long hours. I propose legislation to abolish the minimum wage and to set a maximum working week (for children) of 65 hours, which would allow a 10 hour day with one half day off per week. By the end of a day’s work they should be too tired to do much more than watch an hour of television before staggering off to bed.