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Education

Should we pay kids to go to school?

(35 Posts)
khajihana Sun 19-Apr-26 11:14:35

I live in Baltimore city, the attendance rate is awful. Crime is pretty rampant in those same neighborhoods. These kids don’t care about education, they just want to be able to provide for themselves and their families. We don’t even need to pay them like through a paycheck. It could be once you graduate, depending on your GPA it could be a graduated bonus system. I know this probably unpopular, but would it work?

Jaxjacky Mon 20-Apr-26 21:22:23

Back to the OP and Baltimore where there are, apparently, specific issues:
Erratic bus services for the schools.
Extreme poverty
Dangerous walking routes to school in some areas adjacent to schools.
Until these issues are addressed, no OP, paying pupils wouldn’t work if they can’t even get to school!

Doodledog Mon 20-Apr-26 21:25:55

Nothing wrong with offering vocational courses, but not at the expense of academic ones. If money is being offered to those on vocational courses but not those doing traditional subjects poorer families would encourage children to take the paying ones, and in the end there would be educational apartheid, with only better off families able to afford for their children to take academic subjects.

Allira Mon 20-Apr-26 21:35:50

No-one said at the expense of academic ones.

There should be a place for both. It is no good writing off those who are bored with solely academic subjects, far better to offer those subjects as well which may inspire some pupils. Or to fund more colleges to allow them to offer some GCSE subjects alongside vocational subjects, so that the increasing number of pupils who are finding school unsuitable may at least have a chance to gain qualifications then find meaningful work or apprenticeships.

Many schools are recognising this and some colleges are taking pupils from age 14 now.

Allira Mon 20-Apr-26 21:36:37

Jaxjacky

Back to the OP and Baltimore where there are, apparently, specific issues:
Erratic bus services for the schools.
Extreme poverty
Dangerous walking routes to school in some areas adjacent to schools.
Until these issues are addressed, no OP, paying pupils wouldn’t work if they can’t even get to school!

Sorry, the previous posts were a diversion.

Doodledog Mon 20-Apr-26 22:34:21

No-one said at the expense of academic ones
And no one said they did. No- one said vocational courses should be written off either.

I was responding to the post that answered the question ’Should we pay kids to go to school?’ with ‘No. More vocational courses should be offered.’, which doesn’t suggest that children should be paid to attend non-vocational classes, although it doesn’t say so outright. I think both should exist side by side with equal status, but that’s not a popular view on here.

Allira Mon 20-Apr-26 22:37:37

You are assuming.

Anyway, this I the USA.

Doodledog Tue 21-Apr-26 00:09:50

Assuming what?

Caleo Tue 21-Apr-26 10:46:43

Doodledog

Nothing wrong with offering vocational courses, but not at the expense of academic ones. If money is being offered to those on vocational courses but not those doing traditional subjects poorer families would encourage children to take the paying ones, and in the end there would be educational apartheid, with only better off families able to afford for their children to take academic subjects.

I am afraid this is happening . The humanities are essential for cooperation and morality, but are not so much use for getting a well paid job.

Allira Tue 21-Apr-26 11:04:20

Jaxjacky

Back to the OP and Baltimore where there are, apparently, specific issues:
Erratic bus services for the schools.
Extreme poverty
Dangerous walking routes to school in some areas adjacent to schools.
Until these issues are addressed, no OP, paying pupils wouldn’t work if they can’t even get to school!

Yes.

When I mentioned vocational courses I wondered if they offered these in the USA.

I know little about schooling there, although, had my ancestors not returned after two years in Baltimore, I might have been living there. Thankfully they did return.