Tsogo High/Secondary School Alumni - NPO Registration No.053-952-NPO

Day: September 30, 2016

Is there such a thing as “free education”? – Kelebogile Seleke

This is a submission to the 2016 Tsogo Alumni Society Essay Competition. The essay is the learners work and has gone through some minimal editing for presentation. 

Author: Kelebogile Seleke

Grade: 11B, Tsogo Secondary School

Title: Is there such a thing as “free education”? Could this “free education” be achieved by non-fee paying schools (like Tsogo Secondary) and “free” higher education as espoused by the #FeesMustFall movement?

Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine and that a child of a farmworker can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another” these are the words of the late President Nelson Mandela.

Education, a vital tool that one can possess in life.

Fees Mus Fall Protests

Fees Must Fall Protests

Is there such a thing as “free education”? – Tshiamo Morokane

This is a submission to the 2016 Tsogo Alumni Society Essay Competition. The essay is the learners work and has gone through some minimal editing for presentation. 

Author: Tshiamo Morokane

Grade: 11D, Tsogo Secondary School

Title: Is there such a thing as “free education”? Could this “free education” be achieved by non-fee paying schools (like Tsogo Secondary) and “free” higher education as espoused by the #FeesMustFall movement?

Nobel Peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, said that “education is the birthright of every child and that the denial of education is totally unacceptable”. He said this in context to the cases of child labour that were prevailing in India and because he saw education as the silver bullet to alleviate this unacceptable situation.

Fees Mus Fall Protests

Fees Must Fall Protests

Many countries across the world agree with Satyarthi, and many who came before him who held the same ideal. Countries like Brazil, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Germany, France and Scotland to mention a few have implemented various systems of free education across the different education levels. Some have had the ability to offer this same opportunity to international students as well. Countries like China are taking strides to follow suit as they have also seen the benefits of an educated society. Although the right to education should be a universal entitlement, what does real free education actually cost? How much does it really amount to if we had to count, add and quantify it? I looked up the definition of the word “free” in the dictionary to fully understand what I am writing about. Two definitions stood out for me; “without cost or payment” and “remove something undesirable or restrictive from”. The second definition stood out for me, the most. Maybe the idea of a system of free education as espoused by the #FeesMustFall movement is something that can be achieved in our lifetime; the moment we remove all that restricts our thoughts about this seemingly pie-in-the-sky idealistic system.

Is there such a thing as “free education”? – Boitshoko Mboweni

This is a submission to the 2016 Tsogo Alumni Society Essay Competition. The essay is the learners work and has gone through some minimal editing for presentation. 

Author: Boitshoko Mboweni

Grade: 10B, Tsogo Secondary School

Title: Is there such a thing as “free education”? Could this “free education” be achieved by non-fee paying schools (like Tsogo Secondary) and “free” higher education as espoused by the #FeesMustFall movement?

There is no such thing as free education and non–fee schools like Tsogo secondary school cannot achieve it, and there is no free higher education as espoused by the # fees must fall movement.

Non – fee schools are in a state of emergency as the buildings are no longer conducive for teaching and learning as they are old and date back to the twentieth century. These schools also lack facilities such as fully functioning school libraries; spacious staff rooms; enough classes, medical rooms and a science lab among other things. This causes hardships when it comes to meeting the curriculum requirements and producing good grades at the end of each academic year.

Fees Mus Fall Protests

Fees Must Fall Protests

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