Education is Considered a Right in the United States by Katelynn
Katelynn's entry into Varsity Tutor's January 2021 scholarship contest
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Education is Considered a Right in the United States by Katelynn - January 2021 Scholarship Essay
Education is the foundation of our lives so that is why it is and should be a right. Another reason why I think education is a right is because the American government has made it free and accessible to all within its country. Although not all education is free, such as college, the majority of it is. And the part that is free teaches students fundamental concepts and skills that they will use in life.
First off, the right of education is shown through its cost. The federal government made public k-12 education free. However, private schools may charge a fee for children to enroll in their school. If public education was made free to everyone, that shows how important it is for people to get an education because the government is willing to pay for millions of people to go to school. If education was a privilege, then all types of education would cost the student money in attempt to show that only the privileged and elite people are allowed to get an education. By making it free, the government is saying that everybody should get the opportunity to go to school and learn.
Another reason why education is considered a right is due to its accessibility. There are public schools across the whole country. Each area of the country is also assigned a school district the children can attend. No matter where people live, they will always have a nearby school they can attend. The government wouldn't build thousands of schools in all areas of the country for only the superior families and children to attend. All of those schools were built with the intention of millions of students attending school in order to get an education. If education was considered a privilege, there wouldn't be schools in every part of the country, people may have to travel to find good (and possibly free) education.
Additionally, nobody is banned from going to school based on their physical characteristics, family dynamic, ethnicity, wealth, etc. Every citizen in the country has the chance to go to school to receive an education. Everybody is treated the same while in school, nobody is discriminated against or limited in their education. If education were considered to be a privilege, then only certain people would be able to go due to their amount of wealth, their race, etc. Education is a right that everybody has the ability to exercise.
Lastly, education is a right because nobody can be permanently banned from going to school and receiving an education. If a student misbehaves beyond what the school can control, the student is sent to another school that is meant to help and teach those who are considered to be troubled or misbehaved. Students can't be fully banned from all types of schools and therefore education can't be taken away from them. It is possible for students to be suspended or expelled from a school, but they are still able to return to that school at a later date or attend another school in a different district. Things that are considered a privilege can be permanently taken away and removed from a person's life. Education can never be fully banned from a person's life, which means it is considered a right to all.
Education is considered a right in my opinion due to how the government set up the education system. Everybody has the opportunity to get an education despite all of their unique circumstances. Nobody should have an issue with the cost of public education until they get to college and all places within the country have a nearby school they can attend. Since the government made education a big priority by making it free and accessible, it is considered a right.