TDSB(Toronto District School Board) is considering to pay money for students in order to get the students to stay in school and achieve good grades. According to this idea, the students will be paid money as an incentive for going to school, taking tests, getting good grades and so on which will ultimately encourage students especially those who are in poverty to keep up their education. This idea generated from Chris Spence, an education director of TDSB, as he wrote: "Should we pay kids in our more disadvantageous communities to do well in school? Perhaps, as a part of a poverty reduction scheme." TDSB announced that this idea will be carefully examined by the board's new anti-poverty task force. Head of the TDSB's nine-member group Lloyd McKell also said "This is not about bribing. This is helping students who have no resources or very limited resources to focus on learning". TDSB finds that the idea of paying students in order to help those who are struggling from poverty and to encourage students to get better grades could be a great solution towards many aspects that needs improvements.On the other hand, there are great numbers of oppositions who have made complaints and showed sign of discouragement towards this idea including TDSB's own students. Grade 12 student Derek Neilson said "I like having my job, having my own place. I don't like being in school. People want to get bribed, go ahead. It's your morals, not mine". Anni Kidder with group People for Education also discouraged the idea of cash-for-grades by saying "There are solutions, but they're not necessarily simple and they have to be integrated solutions". According to the statistics, the money incentive policy which was initiated in U.S. in the past have worked out for some students but not for all. People's viewpoints especially the viewpoints of people in Toronto will be focused on this idea to see if the money incentive policy will actually be set in place for the students.
In my opinion, I strongly disagree to the cash incentive policy to students. Yes, it is true that education is critical and necessary towards all students. Yes, it is true that both government and school board m
ust financially aid students who are in poverty in order to help them receive appropriate education. However, I believe that the idea of paying students "if" they get good grades is a way of bribing, segregating students and also wasting money that could be spent much more effectively. By paying money only towards students that get good grades, this can ultimately separate and divide students in to different groups depending on the grades that they are receiving and create serious social and intolerant problems within the students.
ust financially aid students who are in poverty in order to help them receive appropriate education. However, I believe that the idea of paying students "if" they get good grades is a way of bribing, segregating students and also wasting money that could be spent much more effectively. By paying money only towards students that get good grades, this can ultimately separate and divide students in to different groups depending on the grades that they are receiving and create serious social and intolerant problems within the students. Moreover, in my opinion, there can be much more effective ways to support students struggling with financial issues than only paying students that get good grades in order to"force" the students in poverty to study hard so that they could receive cash for their living. I believe that setting up student support charity for living, study, etc. and paying families that are struggling financially which are causing problematic effects towards students' education will be much more effective and adequate solution. Because every student has right to study and be educated in same environment, I believe that it is government and school board's job to help those who are less fortunate and create the adequate environment for them to study in.
On the whole, I disagree with the idea of cash incentives only for students that are getting good grades and I believe that there could be much more meaningful and effective ways to support students that are less fortunate in order to help them receive appropriate education. Better education for younger generation now will benefit our country in the future as they will be the generation that will be running the country in 20~30 years. I would like to see TDSB come up with much more suitable policy than paying, bribing and ultimately forcefully making students to work and study.
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