Do We Really Need The Education Department and The Department Of Energy?
The origin of this article comes from a short blurb in the December 17, 2010 issue of The Week magazine. The latest survey of student school achievement, which is done every three years by the Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development, found that students in Shanghai ranked first in the world in reading, science, and math. Quite a feat, to be number one in all three. The survey measured the education proficiency of fifteen year olds in 60 countries around the world.
The very bad and sad news is that the United States ranked 17th in reading, 23rd in science, and 31th in math. While the article did not give education expenditure information, it is a good bet that the United States ranked much higher in amount of education dollars spent per student than it did in any of the three categories measured. If this assertion is correct, then we are spending a lot of taxpayer money and getting mediocre performance in return.
Which brings us to the Federal Education Department, a bureaucracy that has been around since 1980 and according to its government website, has a discretionary budget of about $49.7 billion (this does not include the $33 billion or so of Pell grants that it administers). I guess one could make the argument that without the Education Department, the United States would have finished worse than 17th, 23rd, and 31th.
However, it is likely we could have finished this poorly without spending the $49.7 billion a year. In fact, if you look at the Education Department website, it acknowledges that “it is important to point out that education in America is a state and local responsibility.” They admit that they are not the main driver of education in this country but still eat up almost $50 billion a year just to fill a supplemental role.
Let’s do some fantasy math. What if we terminated the Education Department, what could we do with that money:
Since there are 50 states, you could provide an annual supplemental payment to the states, that the Department fully acknowledges has the main responsibility for educating our kids, of $1 billion per state to help improve their facilities and education processes. According to the government’s National Center For Education Statistics, there are 93,295 public elementary and secondary schools in this country. If we divide this number of schools into the Education Department’s budget, each school could theoretically receive an additional $532,000 per school each year to help educate America’s youth. If we purchased the basic iPad product at Best Buys’ current price of $499.95, we could outfit over 99 million students in one year with an iPad for themselves. Given today’s high tech world, wouldn’t iPads (or other worthy technology) be better use of taxpayer funds than a 31st finish in math? Of course, just having a piece of technology is not going to improve an education process but imagine what could happen in education with an iPad. For example, the need for books and the high expense that goes with the school purchase of books could be diverted to hire more teachers, improve school curriculums, enhance teacher training, etc. since bound paper books are more expensive than electronic digital books, a format that that could also be much easily updated. And this is for only one year. With the technology already purchased in year one, next year, billions of more dollars could be spent on other education needs, if we eliminated the Education Department budget. If you are not into helping improve our schools, you could divide the $49.7 billion by the number of U.S. households and give each household an annual check of just over $400. Certainly a better idea than 31st in math.
The point to be made by these math calculations is that the Education Department has done such a poor job of positioning our kids for success in the world that continuing to budget and pay for this non-performance is a farce. How much worse could it be to take the $50 billion or so and try something new with it? Given that the Department is supplemental, what is the worst that could happen? We fall to 32nd in math? The schools and education approach in Shanghai is getting results, why can’t we get the Federal government out of the way and let the states find a way to mimic what Shanghai is obviously doing right and our Education Department is obviously not doing at all?
While reading about our poor performance as a nation academically, it appears that another Federal agency, the Department of Energy, is also a total failure when it comes to its charter. Although it has been over 30 years since the traumatic energy crises of the 1970s, we as a nation are not closer to having a strategic, workable, and rationale national energy plan today than we were when the Department of Energy was formed decades ago.
Think about it: name one success story from the Department of Energy that you can come up with without doing some serious research? We still have no national energy policy. I can think of no significant project, program, or technology that the Department funded with our taxpayer money that has born fruit, either with cheaper energy, better energy, or less reliance on foreign energy sources.
If you look at their Federal website,you see that the Department Of Energy’s annual budget is around $28 billion, of which just over $11 billion of that is for Defense Department research. If you took that $11 billion and moved it and its staff into the Defense Department, you could dump the remaining parts of the Department Of Energy and save the taxpayers just over $17 billion a year. This would provide an annual tax reduction of about $150 for every U.S. household. What would you rather have: $150 in your pocket or just another government bureaucracy that did nothing it was supposed to do?
These are the types of questions that need to be asked as the country faces this extraordinary and looming budget crisis of skyrocketing national debt. Just because we always had a government program, does not mean we need to continue to have these programs. An Education Department that fails at education and a Department of Energy that fails at energy are not good reasons to continue to have them. Better to try somethng different and less expensive. Again, how much worse could it get when it comes to these two monstrosities?
Just because something exists today does not mean it has to exist tomorrow. Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, Montgomery Ward, Service Merchandise, American Motors, Studebaker, GTE, ITT, the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Union, etc. all existed and are now all gone. Given this historical perspective, getting rid of a mere Cabinet Department or two should be no big deal, especially the ones that are expensive and ineffective, the cause for the demise of these past giants in their respective fields.
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
CBSE is one of the eminent and widely recognized boards of school education in India. Although CBSE got its present name in 1952, its origin can be traced back to 1921 when the U.P Board of High school and Secondary Education was set up. The importance of CBSE lies in its effort to impart a common education in this land of diverse culture and heritage called India. Thus, it has successfully evolved a common standard for all across the country. Its respect has grown over the years as it is trying to make education relevant to the fast changing world while not compromising on the quality of education in India. One of the finest examples is the introduction of the financial market Management courses which have started from the 2008 academic year
The CBSE prepares the syllabus for Class 9 to Class 12 in schools affiliated with it.It conducts two major examinations every year, the All India Secondary School Examination (AISSE) for Class 10 and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) for Class 12, which is a school-leaving examination. Many private schools within and outside India are affiliated to CBSE. It also prescribes the syllabi for these examinations, whose scores are necessary to gain admission in higher study institues. The medium for education prescribed by CBSE is either English or Hindi. CBSE All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12 is widely recognised internationally for direct admission to university undergraduate courses
There are a total of 9,689 schools from India and outside India affiliated to CBSE. As a result of the reconstruction, the Delhi Board of Secondary Education was merged with the Central Board and all the educational institutions recognised by the Delhi Board also became a part of the Central Board. Subsequently, all the schools located in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and the state of Sikkim now have affiliation with the Board. The Board has grown from a group of 309 schools in 1962 to 5119 schools as on 25.9.98, which include 784 kendriya Vidyalayas, 1381 Government Schools, 2486 Independent Schools, 355 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and 13 Adhoc Schools. There are also Indian schools in the Middle East and Southeast Asia that are affiliated to it.
CBSE also conducts the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) which is a common entrance examination conducted on all-India basis for admission to engineering and architecture/planning programmes in the country. Similarly Pre-medical and Pre-dental Tests AIPMT (PMT/PDT) are conducted for medical and dental colleges.
The CBSE focuses to affiliate institutions for the purpose of examination and raise the academic standards of the country.The prime focus of the Board is on bringing innovations in teaching-learning methodologies by devising students friendly and students centered paradigms. Further in enhancing skill learning by adding job-oriented and job-linked inputs.
The Central Board of Secondary Education has fulfilled this national obligation by providing a uniform curriculum with a flexible scheme of studies suitable to the needs of each and every student irrespective of the fact whether it is a government run school or private school. Notwithstanding the geographical variations, the schools and students under CBSE enjoy and share common privileges as regards the curriculum, examinations and academic innovations.
Education Requirements for Firefighters
If you are interested in becoming a firefighter, one factor you really should not overlook is firefighter education. Firefighting has developed into a very competitive area of expertise, and most municipalities have started requiring firefighter applicants to have a college degree, or some college credits, as well as certification prior to being seriously considered for a position. Then again, even if it’s not necessarily a firm necessity in your city, having the right education and certification is likely to dramatically increase your chance to find a job as a firefighter.
There are a few different ways to acquire the training and education you should have to become a firefighter, and this guide will help you to understand your various options. Particularly, you might be interested in college degrees for firefighters, attending fire academy, taking web based classes for firefighting, or firefighter apprenticeships. All of these are viable methods of achieving the education requirements for firefighters, so we will evaluate these options in more detail.
Fire Academy Training – Your Local Fire Department
Depending on where you want to find a job as a firefighter, the fire department could have a local fire academy set up to train new recruits. This form of education is what a lot of people refer to as “fire school” or “fire academy.” Typically, entry-level workers in large fire departments will be trained for a number of weeks at the department’s fire school training center or fire academy. Firefighter training typically is comprised of classroom instruction and practical training.
Firefighter recruits study subjects such as fire prevention, fire fighting techniques, hazardous materials control, local building codes, and emergency medical procedures. Many jurisdictions require firefighters to hold certification as an emergency medicine technician (EMT) or paramedic. During fire school training, recruits also learn how to use tools of the trade like axes, chain saws, fire extinguishers, ladders, as well as other fire fighting and rescue apparatus. After successfully completing training, the recruits are assigned to a fire company, where they undertake a period of probation which will consist of more hands-on training.
If the fire department close to you does give you training and education through this sort of fire school, there could possibly be prerequisites you need to meet before being accepted into the program. You could ask at a local fire department to get the essentials of their specific application process and requirements.
In addition to the firefighter training provided in the local jurisdiction, many firefighter recruits and career firefighters also opt to sign up for firefighter training courses available through the U.S. Fire Administration and U.S National Fire Academy.
U.S. National Fire Academy – National Emergency Training Center
The National Emergency Training Center is a 107-acre campus situated in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The campus houses the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), the National Fire Academy (NFA), and the Emergency Management Institute (EMI). The National Fire Academy and Emergency Management Institute are part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The National Fire Academy offers firefighter courses at its resident campus in Emmitsburg, and also off-campus, around the Country in collaboration with State and local fire departments and training providers. There are no tuition costs for National Fire Academy courses. All instruction and course materials are provided free of charge. Most of the travel costs and accommodations for students who represent career or volunteer fire departments, rescue squads, or State/local governments attending on-campus courses are now provided as part of funding within the student stipend reimbursement program.
Everyone having significant involvement in fire prevention and control, emergency medical services, fire-related emergency management activities, or allied occupations is eligible to apply for National Fire Academy courses. Students have to satisfy the particular selection criteria and prerequisite criteria for every course. These prerequisite courses may be available online through the Emergency Management Institute and the National Fire Academy.
The National Fire Academy itself is not an accredited university. However, successfully completed NFA courses may be counted as credits toward a college degree program. However, not all colleges or universities approve these credits.
College for Firefighters
Many vocational schools, community colleges, and universities provide certificates and degrees for the student who wants to become a firefighter. The most common college certificate or degree is a Fire Science degree. Students enrolled in a Fire Science program usually study fire investigation methods and also techniques for controlling a fire with equipment, like axes, fire extinguishers, ladders and chainsaws. These programs also typically include education in fire prevention and teaching fire safety to the general public. Fire science students are also taught basic first aid, CPR and proper handling of hazardous materials.
As part of these college programs for firefighters, students might also earn their certification as an EMT/Paramedic. This is one important reason why college for firefighters is becoming increasingly more in-demand; because in addition to basic requirements for becoming a firefighter, many jurisdictions now mandate EMT training and certification as the minimum education requirement for becoming a firefighter.
Key courses in a Fire Science Associates Degree will normally include:
Fire Prevention Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival Building Construction for Fire Protection Fire Behavior and Combustion Fire Protection Systems Principles of Emergency Services
Other appropriate firefighter courses offered by many colleges include:
Fire Investigation I Fire Investigation II Fire Protection Hydraulics and Water Supply Introduction to Fire and Emergency Services Administration Legal Aspects of the Emergency Services Occupational Health and Safety Strategy and Tactics Hazardous Materials Chemistry
Along with these core Associate’s Degree courses, a Fire Science Bachelors Degree program will commonly also include additional courses such as:
Political and Legal Foundations of Fire Protection Applications of Fire Research Fire Prevention Organization and Management Personnel Management for the Fire and Emergency Services Fire and Emergency Services Administration Community Risk Reduction for the Fire and Emergency Services
Of course, the actual curriculum varies depending on what college you attend for your firefighter education. Look at the firefighter class descriptions of colleges you’re thinking about to make sure you get the education you need.
Firefighter Training Apprenticeship Programs
Accredited apprenticeships are offered by a lot of fire departments for those interested in becoming a firefighter. These firefighter training programs frequently require students to enroll in a Fire Science degree program at an affiliated school. The student will obtain theoretical knowledge via classroom firefighter courses, while getting realistic, hands-on field training via the fire department. These programs ordinarily take 2- 4 years to complete.
Students in apprenticeship programs have a chance to gain paid experience in a fire department, operating equipment and responding to calls. Fire departments which offer apprenticeship programs generally tend to hire firefighter recruits who have undertaken an apprenticeship. So, if your jurisdiction provides this type of program, it could be the best way for you to get your firefighter education and strengthen your likelihood of being hired in this competitive field.