Improve Education--Bribe a Teen

A new way to educate our young people has arisen in England...bribe them to go to school. The AP is reporting that Bournemouth and Pool College is offering kids $300 iPods if they take summer courses "aimed at helping them find jobs." Although some officials call this what it is, bribery, others say it's necessary because the youth are:

"predominantly disaffected by education, they have possibly not had a very good experience in the school sector and therefore are not engaged in learning." (For those of you who were "predominantly disaffected by education," this means they don't like school, they don't care about school, and they aren't trying).

Now for those of you who are thinking that this might at least be a way for them to get some readin', 'ritin', and 'rithmatic, think again...although a couple of the courses are at least loosely tied to job skills, the choices include "outdoor pursuits and extreme sports" (play all summer and score an iPod), and "travel tips" (where to hang out with your iPod after "graduation").

Not to be outdone, Glasgow city schools are giving out, among other things, movie tickets, iPods, and Xboxes for eating "healthy meals"at school. What's next, a DVD player for changing your underwear?