Free primary education created a 'Crisis of monumental proportions'...

...or painful birth pains The post title was used by a European consultant to describe the introduction of free primary in one African country in the 90s. The media in many African countries seem to enjoy knocking the effects of introducing free primary education. You read about "not enough teaches", "large or huge classes", "Not enough classrooms", "classes under trees", "untrained teaches filling vacancies", "emergency teacher programmes", "too many children, standards falling", "It was better before". I suppose what people are saying is that education systems were better when fewer children had access, but what they could be feeling and not saying is, "Why did we offer ALL of our children the right to education NOW!...if we had done it gradually our education system may not be suffering a crisis." When I re-read principles two and seven from The UN Declaration of Child Rights 1959, I was reminded that we cannot offer some children ALL of their rights and quietly forget the rights of others. It was RIGHT to act and introduce free education. Maybe the troubles had to come, because it would have been WRONG to wait any longer. Maybe the introduction of compulsory basic education will bring more birth pangs. But after the labour everyone smiles and realises it was all worth while. What do you think? Principle 1 The child shall enjoy all the rights set forth in this Declaration. Every child, without any exception whatsoever, shall be entitled to these rights, without distinction or discrimination on account of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, whether of himself or of his family. Principle 7 The child is entitled to receive education, which shall be free and compulsory, at least in the elementary stages.