Who Gets Taught and What Should Get Taught in Providing Quality Basic Education

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Who Gets Taught and What Should Get Taught?
The provision of quality basic education is important for development at local, national, and global levels. According to Perry, Shaw, and Ivanyuk (2), education has been associated with positive outcomes such as improved productivity in employment and enhanced health. It has also been associated with improved civic engagement and preservation of democracy and basic civil liberties (Levinson and Solomon, 15). Determining who gets taught and what should be taught is important for providing quality basic education. Given the benefits of basic education, all citizens should receive education, and schools should teach subjects that offer skills and values that promote economic, social, and political development.
Providing education for all has and will always be important. Over the years, there has been a focus on how governments worldwide can provide education for all. The United States has been at the forefront in this fight. According to Fraser (p. 32), the 1787 legislation by Congress required all citizens of new states to be provided with at least a basic education. This shows an understanding of the importance of providing education to everyone. As Zikpi (45) shares, education for all involves providing equal access to educational opportunities to everyone regardless of their gender, socio-economic status, race, and disability.
There seems to be a special focus on young people deciding who gets taught. According to Fraser (p. 134), the Committee of Ten believed that every girl and every boy should have access to education to ensure that all young people led complete and worthy lives. The committee believed that education was the key to unearthing the potential worth of individuals and since every individual had a right to live up to their potential, this also meant that every individual had the right to basic education. In the early 2000s, the United States passed the No Child Left Behind Act (Fraser, 306; 330) to ensure all children had access to quality education. Access to education has not always been equal and children from disadvantaged communities or with physical disabilities have faced challenges in accessing high-quality education. However, the No Child Left Behind Act enhanced access to education by ensuring that underprivileged children have high-quality education regardless of their economic or racial background (US Department of Education). It further provided that all children have an early start in learning language and other skills to excel as adults. This also emphasizes the role of education in ensuring that every citizen lives up to their potential as an adult.
In addition, Fraser (110) reveals that all secondary school students were to be taught similar subjects regardless of where they ended up later in life. Further, this education was to be provided as long as the student was willing to pursue it. This ensured that all students received standardized basic education regardless of what career path they followed in their future. Fraser indicates that the Committee of Ten intended to provide basic secondary school education to as many citizens as possible.
Several subjects should be taught in ...