Universal education is an important part of a democratic society The growth of education is the measure of the success of every country in the world. Additionally, it serves as a tool for social and economic empowerment as well as a way of advancing other human rights. For that reason, universal education plays an indispensable role in each society, including democratic society (Lee, 2013). Education always parallels democratic principles as in democracies, educational practices and values reinforce democratic governance norms. For a democratic society to function effectively, it must be a dynamic, changing system of government that encourages citizens to think for themselves. Informed citizens have the power to effect constructive social and political change to advance their democracy (Asingo, 2012). For the sake of a democratic future, the government should appreciate and invest in universal education.
NAME : Le Uyen My STUDENT NUMBER : NNA48C1-0685 The growth of education is the measure of the success of every country in the world Additionally, it serves as a tool for social and economic empowerment as well as a way of advancing other human rights For that reason, universal education plays an indispensable role in each society, including democratic society (Lee, 2013) Education always parallels democratic principles as in democracies, educational practices and values reinforce democratic governance norms For a democratic society to function effectively, it must be a dynamic, changing system of government that encourages citizens to think for themselves Informed citizens have the power to effect constructive social and political change to advance their democracy (Asingo, 2012) For the sake of a democratic future, the government should appreciate and invest in universal education The Greek word "demos," which means "people," is where the term democracy originates (Dahl, 2022) In democracies, the public has sovereign authority over the legislator and government Democracy is a form of governance in which all individuals, either directly or via the chosen representatives by them, exercise authority and civic duty (Schmitter, & Karl, 1991) In a democracy, citizens not only have rights but also a duty to engage in the political process that upholds and defends those rights Every person has the right to vote in democratic countries' regular free and fair elections In a democracy, elections must be genuine contests for the favor of the populace rather than a cover for tyrants or a single party For that reason, citizens have to be more high-minded, moral, and civilized to elect perfect representatives for their own countries who impact NAME : Le Uyen My STUDENT NUMBER : NNA48C1-0685 their lives also There is a connection between universal education and democratic society as universal education is for all citizens and a cornerstone of democracy Democracy has a broad potential base of support but provides inadequate incentives to its defenders in the conflict between democracy and dictatorship Education increases the advantages of civic involvement and participation in favor of a democratic system This lowers the probability of successful anti-democratic coups and raises the chance of democratic revolutions against dictatorships Education is a key factor in determining "civic culture" and engagement in democratic politics A democracy's political success depends on having a strong base of supporters whose gains merits from political engagement are great enough that they would fight for it even in the lack of rewards (Glaeser, et al., 2007) Education may also support democracy since it increases or decreases the advantages or disadvantages of political participation In order to demonstrate that universal education has a profound magnitude on democracy, there is evidence of American education concerning the relation between democratic society and education To maintain a democratic society, the government develops the complex constitutional system of checks and balances in the United States which is one defense against the threat of demagogues and mob rule However, they understand the need of building an educated citizenry as a second crucial defense against demagogues Thomas Jefferson noted that “if a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be” (2004) The country's founders hoped that voters would be informed so they could NAME : Le Uyen My STUDENT NUMBER : NNA48C1-0685 distinguish between honorable, serious leaders and artists who don't have the best interests of the country at heart Beyond that, the purpose of universal education in the United States was to foster a love of liberal democracy, including respect for the rights of political minorities, a free press, and freedom of religion In this sense, people would be suspicious of demagogues who attempted to destroy such institutions Horace Mann - the Father of American education saw public education as fundamental to democracy and said that “a republican form of government, without intelligence in the people, must be, on a vast scale, what a mad-house, without superintendent or keepers, would be on a small one” (Mann, 1848) Universal education is teaching students to be good democratic citizens involving two distinct components The first one is equipping them with the analytical and critical thinking skills they need to be well-informed and make wise decisions during elections Furthermore, instilling in them an appreciation for the advantages of liberal democracy as a form of government helps protect against demagogues principles who would undermine democratic Equipped with those, people can build a stronger democratic society On the other hand, when there is low access to universal education, Americans may have limited civic knowledge and a weakening belief in democratic principles For example, according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, only 31% of Americans can name all three branches of government, and 32% are unable to name any one (2022) 36 percent of pupils in the 12th grade did not even NAME : Le Uyen My STUDENT NUMBER : NNA48C1-0685 pass the foundational civics exam, demonstrating their inability to define forms of political parties Another significant finding is that educational inequality is linked to lower levels of public trust, democratic trust, and citizen trust A skills gap results from increased levels of educational disparity, separating those with higher and lower skill levels As a result, interpersonal trust may decline The widening gap is a factor in the United States' poor public trust ratings when compared to those of other western industrialized countries Hence, a lack of universal education can lead to certain demerits to democracy For the growth of democracy, universal education is a critical opportunity People from many ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds come together and interact so closely and consistently in practically no other setting It offers a crucial setting where connections may be built and group trust can be fostered For a country to continue to serve as the world's shining example of democratic principles for many decades to come, new policies and investments are required NAME : Le Uyen My STUDENT NUMBER : NNA48C1-0685 REFERENCE Asingo, P O (2012) Democracy Without Informed Citizens: The Influence of Partisan Cues on Political Perceptions of Uninformed Kenyans (Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas) http://hdl.handle.net/1808/10435 Dahl, R A (2022, November 18) Democracy Encyclopedia Britannica https://www.britannica.com/topic/democracy Glaeser, E L., Ponzetto, G A., & Shleifer, A (2007) Why does democracy need education? Journal of economic growth, 12(2), 77-99 https://scholar.harvard.edu/shleifer/publications/why-does-democracy-need-educ ation-0 Hardy, R J., Schlag, P A., & Boeckelman, K (2022) Constitution Day: An Opportunity for Honors Colleges to Promote Civic Engagement Jefferson, T (2004) The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, Volume 10: May 1816 to 18 January 1817 (Vol 10) Princeton University Press http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mtj.mtjbib022264 Lee Dr, S E (2013) Education as a Human Right in the 21st Century Democracy and Education, 21(1), https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/ vol21/iss1/1 Mann, H (1848) Report no 12 of the Massachusetts school board The republic and the school: Horace Mann on the education of free men, 415-449 https://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/democrac/16.htm Schmitter, P C., & Karl, T L (1991) What democracy is and is not Journal of democracy, 2(3), 75-88 https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/ what-democracy-is-and-is-not/ ... decreases the advantages or disadvantages of political participation In order to demonstrate that universal education has a profound magnitude on democracy, there is evidence of American education. .. increases the advantages of civic involvement and participation in favor of a democratic system This lowers the probability of successful anti -democratic coups and raises the chance of democratic revolutions... suspicious of demagogues who attempted to destroy such institutions Horace Mann - the Father of American education saw public education as fundamental to democracy and said that ? ?a republican form of