A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.

Education is the backbone of any nation’s success. Education is responsible for providing the knowledge, skills and training necessary for a nation’s development. The topic above raises the delicate issue of whether all students below the college level should study the same national curriculum. Indisputably, this policy has its proponents who argue that, students below the college level are not mature enough to take decisions about their educational development. Hence, it would serve a nation better to decide one universal curriculum for all students. Notwithstanding the fact that some individuals make wrong educational choices, which might affect their future, this occurrence is easily avoided with the aid of good counselling at educational institutions. Therefore, I argue that a nation with the same educational curriculum for all students would be highly detrimental to the development of capable citizens to run the nation.

First of all, humans are complex organisms, everyone having disparate interests, dreams and ambitions hence requiring a curriculum to fit these specific needs. I would like to point out that, this variety of interests is key to the holistic development of a nation. After all, without diverse ideas it is impossible to solve major life problems. To illustrate, some students may have interest and talents in painting or music, others might have interests in mathematics or science or even history. All these fields together serves as the driving force behind a great nation. A nation cannot be great if everyone were a teacher, or a farmer, rather a good mix of different experts serves for a great nation. In addition, should individuals abandon their interests to follow a national curriculum whether it favours their interests or not? If that is so, this will lead to the loss of numerous hidden talents in a greater of students. Consequently, it is pretty obvious that students be given the opportunity to select a preferable educational curriculum among a variety of curricula.

Furthermore, if a singular national curriculum is to be developed, how will it be designed? Specifically, will the curriculum favour a broad based system where a bit of each field is studied or will it be limited to a few fields deemed important? Either ways can be problematic. To illustrate, a student exceptionally good at some fields but poor at others might have his/her educational growth stymied by those unfavorable fields in a broad based system. Conversely, in a limited system, an individual with talents in a field not encompassed in the curriculum might never unearth that talent. Moreover, the cliché, ‘Jack of all trades master of none’, tells us that generalizations never aid in tackling serious problems which require specialization.

Admittedly, opposing school of thought argue that students below the college level are too young to make right career decisions. However, the above argument does not constitute a sufficient support to the claim that general national curriculum can ensure better career decisions for an individual. However, the only way one can make better career decisions lies not in the type of curricula but rather in knowledge of oneself and aid from parents, teachers and counselors.

In conclusion, an educational system can be likened a sculptor; A good sculptor must know and understand the differences in his raw materials whether wood, clay or marble and sculpt them accordingly to produce a desired end product. As Einstein famously said, “Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid.”