To greet is a social manner every human is obliged do, greetings to the moderators, distinguished adjudicators, amiable Nairalanders and to my co-debaters. I (Dejman) am standing to oppose the motion “Education is a right and not a privilege”.

Education is indeed a privilege with a great proportion of the world having little or no access to it; it is the privileged few that are granted it. Only persons suffering from scotoma would believe that education is a right.
Oxford advanced Learners’ Dictionary defined Right as ‘A moral or legal entitlement to have or do something; whereas Black’s Law Dictionary has defined privilege as ‘A particular and peculiar benefit or advantage enjoyed by a person, company, or class, beyond the common advantages of other citizens.’

We shall take our own dear country, Nigeria as a case study. In Nigeria, there Rights are contained in the Chapter Two and Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The rights under the Chapter Two are named ‘Fundamental objectives and Directives Principles of State policy’, while the rights in Chapter Four are named ‘Fundamental Human Rights’.

Educational right is provided in Section 18 and subsection (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) says ‘Government shall as and when practicable provide (a) free, compulsory and universal primary education ; (b) free secondary education ; (c) free university education ; and (d) free adult literacy programme.

The actual truth is the reason why the educational right is not under the Fundamental Human Right in Chapter Four is because education is a privilege. Section 6 (6) of the 1999 CFRN (as amended) dictates that no court of law shall determine any matter as regard the chapter 2 of the constitution. Chapter 2 therefore cannot be enforced and it is non justiceable. In clear words, rights in the chapter 2 of the constitution are not up for discussion and you cannot go to court to enforce why you have no free education.

In a state where there’s no free education enforced, then we can really save ourselves some self delusion and stop being a pseudo intellectual being by saying education is our right. How can we tell the parent whose minimum wage is under N18, 000 to pay almost N105,000 charges for fresh students of LAUTECH and UNIOSUN which is not less than N100,000 total charges for the fresher’s. Definitely, such parent will have to go extra mile to pay
the money so as not to jeopardize the admission of the child. It is a wide broadcast when the management of Obafemi Awolowo University just woke one day and announced the astronomical increment of the fresh students from N40,000 including the acceptance fee to the tune of N90,000. So my brother, where is the right to education? UNIBEN and UNILAG are also there with their exorbitant charges. If not recently reduced, no less-privilege will afford N250, 000 LASU fee. It is no longer news that Oronsaye’s recommendation to the Federal government is that tuition fees be re-introduced in Federal universities, Polytechnics, and colleges of education. He recommended that each student should be made to pay between N450, 000 and N550, 000 naira per session.

Looking at the Child Rights Act, this has been passed to law since 2003 and was domesticated in many States of the Federation. Nigeria as a country has been unable to deal with several issues hindering the protection of right of the children, in which right to education fall into. “The fault” in the Child Right Act as observed by Barrister Lukman Ogunsetan was that; assuming a parent is sent to prison for violating the child Right Act, which does not enforce a child Right but merely punishes the parent. The child remain uneducated, the “right” remain unenforced.

Have you ever wondered why this saying “If you think Education is cheap then go try Ignorance, it is simply because Education is a privilege, an opportunity many wish they had and which in turn many are striving to get. H. L. Mencken once said; “What men value in this world is not rights but privileges” and until we let that sink in our hearts and see the more of privileges than rights in education then we will continue to struggle in our quest for global developments through education. Like Aristotle has said “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet” such roots are not freely given as rights, they are privileges.



Never take a thing for granted because most times we fail to realize the value of what we have until we lose them, therefore, it is pernicious to have the self delusion that Education is your right. The bitter and simple truth remains; Education is a privilege, not a right, and we are fortunate to live in a democracy. Earth as an ecosystem stands out in the all of the universe. There's no place that we know about that can support life as we know it, not even our sister planet, Mars, where we might set up housekeeping someday, but at great effort and trouble we have to recreate the things we take for granted here, EDUCATION is one of them.


References
FROM RIGHT TO PRIVILEGE: THE STORY OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
CHILD EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: A RIGHT OR PRIVILEGE. BY YUSUFF OLA-GOLD, MUTALUB


Oxford Dictionary Advanced Learners Edition
Black’s Law Dictionary
1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/take_for_granted.html#guwXagbhQFa2K5PK.99

Qdubs:
sand house I suppose

That's true .

Metuh has started smoking oshogbo weed

Ikpeazu means business o

Wait


What are they rebuilding

Fynestboi:




TEAM 1
Debate Topic: Education is a right not a privilege.

FUTMINNA (RIGHT)
AAU (Privilege)
FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC OKO (Right)
LASU (Privilege)

How many debaters allowed per team

donbabajay:



You're not a very bright person, are you?

Yes but the issue is you're just duller.

And compared to you, I'm the sun and you're anything dull

gists:

I didn't want to respond to this thread until I saw your post. Well point of correction, they actually did!!

Brother I agreed already but I now saw two different organizations

CIO and SOUTHwest Moslems

One says they rejected money another rejected meeting

I'm fed up of this

omostar:


I remembered reading it before the election on facebook I think.

Ok sir

Pesuzok:


Can you please tell us what you would have done differently. Dont tell me just diversify, you have to explain. The way it is, there is little or nothing this government can do about our situation. On the issue of foreign exchange, are we saying that CBN should hands off and let the exchange rate fall.

Foreign exchange...I have lil knowledge on economics but it seems stupid to me for cbn tO fix 196 as official rate and actually it's 260/270

Fuel... They need to come clean to nigerians, explain to us in a form of address where we can ask questions. They did town hall meeting with youth before election, election don to now, isn't there a need for that? stop the corrupt so called subsidy. Build refineries, state of the art.

Stop borrowing money. Stop borrowing Nigeria

Our own airline. We need it

omostar:


They actually did.

When?

sonOfLucifer:

Tomorrow is here. Always has been. But will tomorrow wake you?

Maybe it should cause I can't seem to notice tomorrow.

So why did you go sire?

Cause this has not given me a reason why you were allowed!

Shey me Iyam not a nigerian too?

Omo you still get purpose for life

When I talk now, they'll say Nigeria youths are backdated and ill informed

I'm telling you.

Like my dad would say, Nigerians are used to suffering and that's why no matter the price of the commodity, we would buy.

Its a bad thing, of course

When we correct it, then we can change.

I am a Leader of tomorrow but when would 'tomorrow' come?

M annoyed

Why didn't they open up durin the campaign?

Why now?

Yes true

Nice concept

Dissemination of false news in Nigeria is becoming alarming

It's extremely bad

Bollinger:


What do you mean "if truly it's a mental problem?". Don't you see the way people jump up for joy when there is a lynching? Didn't you see the BBC documentary on corruption in Nigeria with documented proof? Two months with no fuel and nobody in government is talking about resigning .These are serious problems which stems from the way Nigerian's think.

Seriously

I wish there's a way to discuss the problem and solve them.

I wish we can just be great.

If you leave the shores of the country, you'll see organized setting. Dubai(privileged to be there once) is an example.

I don't know but anything it takes, I think we need genuine change and I believe and feel only youths can do it but how?

MYMINDER:


Emefiele is NOT Change. He is from GEJ transformation. Blame GEJ who decided to play politics with the economy and pander to the steps of his cronies.

I doubt he will last his 5-year term.

When would the blame game end?

In all sincerity, this Christmas was the lowest to me?

When would our change happen?

As a member of Apc, it's tiring. The issue of fuel in Nigeria

I hope the budget of change really change Nigeria

omooba969:


We don't need revolution bro, all we(youth) need is some 'soul searching' & that will spark the beginning of our redemption.

The very day our youths begin to reject that maegre #2,000 just to sell their votes or carry out a political assignment for some robber-politicians, it will mark a tremendous turn around in our fortune.

We also need to fearlessly engage in active politics in order to contribute positively, only then shall we begin to see the 'genuine change' we so much crave for.

That's a revolution too. The decision of rejecting Meager cash and engage fearlessly in active politics

Bollinger:


Which youth? You forget that you all have the same jacked up mentality. It is not about the old and the new. It is about the way Nigerian's think in general. Classic example is Ben bruce. He is well travelled and somewhat enlightened. But because he has stayed in Nigeria too long, his mentality is now questionable. There is a mental problem in Nigeria that will take generations to weed out.

Hmmmm.

We need to find a solution if truly it's a mental problem

erico2k2:

You got it twisted bro.it's the fault of the CBN gov it would be worthy of note that the Airlines are more than happy to bank their mo eye in Nigeria but what happens if they want to withdraw it in their country try?do Nigeria have the dollar equivalent as back up to remit it's equivalent abroad ?this is the problem.How do they pay taxes in their host countries?we are now spreading our problem to involve them and all they did was to involve in Biz.Someone here predicted that this will drive away investors see.if the likes of Air France. Lift hand a and km plus Delta vacate Nigeria the air fare will skyrocket. What we need is to devalue the Naira not these artificial and non sustainable approach the CBN gov is employing
And to see you got 7 likes n shares on your post shows how backward and ill informed our youths are.

Ok sire.

Since you said it's the fault of the president...
Just one question... Who dictates to Mr CBN gov?

princealexndre:
random animal.....d marriage is going to be cool

Special animal... Don't say I didn't tell them

praxs:
i have the softcopy, too bulky couldnt read it coz of time

please send to deluwande@yahoo.com

NeonDee:

I don't really like whatsapp. OK, I'll visit there again.

Yes. Saw the status

Thanks

NeonDee:

08135668702

Merry Xmas sir!

Your last seen on Whatsapp in 18 dec

Hope you'll be online soon

ritababe:


you are wrong, they can be shy among other people but extrovert when alone.

Are you trying to pacify them?

I doubt it a lot.

It doesn't pay at all

You can marry but expect a boring marriage

TheSonOfMark:



You know, there was a time when men BELIEVED the universe revolved round the earth but even in that pre-illumination period OT didn't change the fact the earth was (and still is) just a planet in one of the countless galaxies and unimportant really.

What you believe in doesn't change reality.

I bet your heart always does a double take when you find a porridge in a weathered calabash with multicolored clothe strips around it. You should ask yourself why you are afraid of it.

I'm sorry

It never did

Never afraid

NeonDee:
Repping team LASU. Church prog. kept me

brother I need your number ASAP

Fynestboi:




When this first stage is completed we will work on other stage
.

ok. 29th

jhydebaba:



you never jam






@OP, juju na sure banker for naija politics.



Okija shrine comes to mind

I'm sticking with my belief