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[your address] [date] [ ] MP or Councillor … … Council [address] Dear … Proposal to extend compulsory
education I am writing
to express my profound concern at the government’s proposals to force 16-18
year olds to attend a school or college or otherwise to receive approved
training while in employment. Effectively, 17-year-olds are to be told by the
government how to run their lives. I believe this represents an unacceptable
infringement of civil liberties for an age group which, on many definitions,
is considered adult. It seems
extraordinary that a person could be regarded as old enough to get married, have
a job, rent a flat, drive a car etc., and yet (it is being assumed) cannot be
trusted to make sensible decisions about their career. There may be arguments
for encouraging those who drop out of education or training at 16 not to do
so, but it cannot be right to resort to coercion. The
government’s Green Paper on this matter makes no reference to the civil
liberties issue, contenting itself with rehearsing questionable arguments
about the economy’s need for skills, and insisting it is “unacceptable” for
this age group not to be in education or training. I therefore would ask you vigorously to oppose these proposals,
regardless of their supposed merits on economic grounds, on the basis that
they conflict with the right of persons to freedom from state interference
except on grounds of preventing harm to others, or (in limited circumstances)
harm to themselves. While it might be argued that those dropping out of
education and training at 16 are depriving themselves of a possible benefit,
it is in no way a kind of “harm to themselves” that could legitimate coercion
of the kind proposed. I should be grateful if you could also show your support by
signing the e-petition at http://www.gopetition.com/online/11776.html. Yours sincerely |