Is schooling child labor? Is school unfree labor? Is school slavery? Is school prison? Is school ageism? - Anti-Schooling Series Part 11

In this post I will discuss whether school fits the definition of child labor, unfree labor, slavery and prison. Though the definition of a word is arbitrary and a "matter of semantics" and sometimes of opinion, I think it is useful to make the comparisons and establish an understanding of the comparison of the concepts.

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Is school slavery and unfree labor?

Some definitions of slavery include:

• a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them
• a person who works very hard without proper remuneration or appreciation
• a person who is excessively dependent upon or controlled by something
• a device, or part of one, directly controlled by another

Wikipedia describes unfree labor as :

Unfree labor is a generic or collective term for those work relations, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence (including death), compulsion, or other forms of extreme hardship to themselves or members of their families.

Many children do not like or want to go to school, yet they do it, because they don't have much of a choice. Perhaps older children can run away and survive and get away with it, but younger children will be put in danger, caught, and returned to their parents or put in a foster care. Foster care is abusive many times and children are drugged up to keep them docile. Going to school is the less bad alternative compared to running away and being forced to find food and shelter, being arrested, or being put into foster care. Parents are also punished for truancy (see: Parents fined £24m for children's truancy and term time holidays).

It is illegal for children to not be in school at certain times of the day due to truancy laws. If they are caught, they are detained and returned to school or their parents.

Children are forced to obey the teachers in school. In many places, the coercion is through the use of violence and i n other places, through yelling, intimidation, or the threat of other consequences, for example the threat of violence or intimidation at home. Children are forced to sit quietly and do what the teacher says.

Also notice the Wikipedia article on unfree labor mentions "the threat of destitution". This is the main premise of school, that you won't be financially successful without it, and the better you do in it, the more financially successful you will be.

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Is school child labor?

The concept we are considering is whether or not kids work in school. Is what they are doing equivalent to what people do for their jobs? If so, it is labor.

Just because a child is not down a mine, doesn't mean he is not undergoing child labor. Sitting at a desk in school is similar to sitting at a desk in an office, and working in an office is considered labor, or work, as much as going down a mine. Obviously, mining might be harder, but office work and mining are both considered a jobs and labor.

School is often much harder than most office jobs. School requires many more hours, and the work is much more intellectually difficult and straining.

Most children work much more than 8 hours a day, the amount considered a full-time job.

Does someone need to profit in order for a child's work to be considered child labor? Educational bureaucracies, teachers, schools, and education companies all profit off of schooling. Without force schooling, they would have far lower incomes, or not have a job in schooling. Does an institution need to be represented by a legal for-profit entity in order for the money it distributes to be considered financial gain?(see Head teachers are giving students "selfish" career advice and Education Inc.: How Private Companies Profit from Public Schools)

Not only do children work in an equivalent manner to some jobs, but they are not even paid for it. In the stereotypical child labor visages children are earning for their family at least.

As a side note, why do kids need to be classes with 30 or less kids when they are 17 and in public school, but it is ok for them to be in classes of 200 or more a few months later when they are 18 and in college?

The department of labor equates schooling with work stating:

Please remember, you already have a full-time job--working hard in school so you can get a good education. This is the most important job you will ever have. What you learn now will help you get a better job when you are older.

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Is school prison?

Prison is considered somewhere you cannot leave when you want. Though children are not prevented from leaving 24 hours a day, as in typical prisons, children cannot leave when they want. If they try, they are arrested due to truancy laws and returned, similar to escaped prisoners. It is true they are allowed to leave school, then they go home to be prevented from leaving their house by their parents in most cases.
Children are forced to work many more hours than prisoners are forced to, and for less money.
Children are prisoners who have committed no crime.

Is school ageism?

People are forced to attend school based on their age. Teachers assume authority based on their age and size.