School-Leaving Age Should Be Raised

More education provides the opportunity to acquire more skills and therefore more options. It has been shown many times that those with more education find it easier to find work and that they are more likely to find that work satisfying. Similarly, the level of education among the population can have a positive effect on the economy as a whole as they can be more efficient workers. The impact of extra years of education on earnings and economic productivity is also disproportionately heavy at the lower end – that is, two more years at school for a 16 year old will make a much greater percentage difference to their later economic worth than two years of graduate work for a 22 year old.

Ensuring everyone gets educated for the same amount of time at school should promote equality. Currently early-school leaving is linked with other indicators of socio-economic disadvantage, such as low-income jobs or high unemployment. More importantly parents who left school young are more likely to have children who leave school early. Forcing all children to stay in school longer could break this cycle of disadvantage.

If more people continue at school until eighteen, more people will be eligible to enter universities or other forms of tertiary education. These bring the same personal and economic benefits as staying in education longer (see no. 1). However tertiary level education has a much greater impact on social inequality, especially as universities and colleges generally draw students from across the country, resulting in students from very diverse backgrounds being taught together.

At the moment, schools often focus on those likely to stay on and pursue an academic syllabus, sometimes setting minimum achievement guidelines for those who want to stay on. If they have to cater for all comers it should promote diversity in the school, providing more vocational opportunities and remedial courses for those less suited to the academic approach. This could have a positive impact lower down the school on younger children who will have a variety of role models within the school, not just those who are academically successful.

Lengthening compulsory schooling helps protect childhood. While at school students will be protected from some of the pressures in life. They have the rest of adulthood to work, make budgets balance and make choices. Providing them with space to grow for as long as possible can make them better prepared for adult life.

Raising the school-leaving age is a crucial investment in society’s future. Doing so increases the economic potential of the future workforce, and so will bring increased tax revenues in the long term to more than cover any initial costs. Although some countries would experience a more dramatic change than others, it is worth noting that in many states a very large majority of young people voluntarily stay in education beyond the end of compulsory schooling (e.g. France, Germany and Japan). If these countries can already bear the extra cost without economic collapse, it should be possible for others to cope as well.