Recently, there are issues regarding the minimum age that people should stay in school. It is supposed that everyone should be in school until they are 18 years old. This, I believe, is reasonable.
One main point to make is that the legal age is 18. If students are allowed to be out of school before this age, they will not be able to get employed anyway because of their age. They will just waste their time doing unnecessary things. Also, their parents are still responsible for them and we all know that most parents today are busy working so they will not be able to supervise their children well. If their kids are in school, they will not have to worry too much on what they might be doing while they are at work. Furthermore, being out of school before legal age will just make teens idle and they might forget what they have learned or they might have not learned enough.
Admittedly, there are Issues related to Staying out of School Early:
- Students will feel lazy. Due to inability to be employed, teens will likely to just relax and do nothing. Once they are on legal age, they might not feel motivated to find a job as they are used to depend on their parents.
- Parents will have difficulties monitoring their children and working. Working parents will have to make sure that their children will not become delinquents.
Another point to make is that staying in school until 18 will provide students with knowledge and skills that can prepare them for adulthood. Once they reach 18, they will have to be independent. If they will not pursue a tertiary education, they will have to find employment to be able to support their selves. It is important that they are well-equipped with knowledge and skills that will help them cope with different situations. Their parents are no longer responsible for them and they will have to address work and personal issues by themselves. Moreover, once they finish school at 18, what they have learned is still fresh and they once they have a job, they can easily adjust to the working environment.
Advantages of Staying in School until 18:
- Teens will have a better life outcome. Since they will have to work or be independent after graduating high school, they will learn to pursue their dreams. Some may choose to obtain a degree and some may immediately work and somewhat realize their ambitions.
- This will reduce the burden of the government. If teens are well-prepared for adulthood, the employment rate will go down. This will in turn improve the socio-economic status of a country.
Based on the reasons stated, everyone should be encouraged to be in school until 18. This will not only benefit teens but also the government and parents.