I keep hearing politicians in New Mexico talk about a need for vocational training and the limitations of a college education. One candidate even spoke about universities restricting the majors that are available based upon the ability to pay high enough wages to pay back their loans. There was an indication that vocational education would cut costs for universities.
These are certainly wrong headed notions about the purpose of universities and the cost of vocational training. All majors can produce enough money to pay back student loans. No one needs to start at the top of a pay scale. They are also wrong headed notions about freedom of choice. Each person needs to learn to create their own plan for their future, not fulfill somebody else's plan.
What we need to do for education is stop preparing children for college or work. We need to prepare them for life. How to establish relationships and how to manage a household. People should know how machines and things like water systems work. In this way they will learn what they need to know for their future, not the society's past.
To accomplish this, mandatory education should be complete after 10 years of schooling. Students should know enough academic skills at this point to choose a direction to explore. Secondary education should allow them to explore the world of work and academia to learn what is possible and make choices about their future that suits their needs.
The best thing politicians can do is promise to fund an education system that allows for personal growth and development, not one that fits children into boxes and determine their future. Margaret Mead once famously said, "children learn what they need to know for the future." Let us accommodate that idea, not one that determines their future
