What we need is an education system that works for every child

The words of Marc Veasey, congressman and advocate for opportunity, sound like a trumpet of justice: “What we need is an education system that works for every child, not a select few. This starts with providing a quality education for our youngest Americans so they can learn, grow, and become prosperous citizens.” In this simple yet powerful declaration, he lays bare both the wound and the cure of society. For a nation cannot call itself free if knowledge is hoarded for the privileged; nor can it call itself just if the children of the poor are left behind. The true strength of a country lies not in armies or wealth, but in the education of its people.

The origin of this truth is as old as civilization. Every age has known that children are the seeds of the future. In ancient Athens, the city invested in the training of its youth, not only in reading and writing, but in philosophy and civic duty, so that democracy might endure. In China, Confucius taught that the cultivation of virtue and knowledge in the young was the foundation of order in the state. Veasey’s cry echoes these same timeless lessons: if we educate all children, the nation flourishes; if we educate only a select few, we plant division and decay.

History itself provides witness. Consider the GI Bill in America after the Second World War. Millions of returning soldiers, many from humble backgrounds, were given access to higher education. The result was a generation uplifted, new industries born, and a society strengthened. Contrast this with eras when education was denied, such as in the time of slavery, when enslaved men and women were forbidden to read. The denial of knowledge was the denial of humanity itself. Thus Veasey’s words remind us that quality education for every child is not charity, but justice—it is the foundation of equality, freedom, and prosperity.

His words also highlight the urgency of early years. The mind of a child is like soft clay, easily shaped, quick to absorb. If in those years they are nourished with knowledge, encouragement, and care, they grow strong, capable of bearing the weight of citizenship. But if they are starved of opportunity, neglected in broken schools, or told that learning is not for them, they are crippled before they have even begun the race of life. Veasey points to the youngest citizens, knowing that early education is the root from which all later growth must come.

O children of the future, mark this truth: a nation that invests in every child invests in its own destiny. To neglect even one is to weaken the chain that binds a people together. For from the poorest streets may rise the next great inventor; from the smallest towns may come the next healer or leader. When education is denied to any, the whole community suffers. When education is given to all, the community prospers together.

The lesson for us is clear: do not measure education by privilege, but by justice. Demand that schools in every neighborhood, rich or poor, shine with opportunity. Respect teachers, who are the builders of the nation’s future. Support policies that lift up not the few, but the many. And in your own life, help the children around you—whether by reading with them, mentoring them, or simply believing in their potential. For in doing so, you strengthen not only their lives, but the life of the nation itself.

Practical action lies before us: guard libraries and classrooms as sacred spaces; fight against inequality in schools; provide books to those who have none; encourage curiosity in every child you encounter. Speak out when education is treated as a privilege instead of a right. And above all, remember Veasey’s wisdom: the prosperity of the people depends on the prosperity of their children’s minds.

Thus let his words echo across the land: “What we need is an education system that works for every child, not a select few.” This is both a call to arms and a vision of hope. If we answer it, we shall raise up a generation stronger than any before, a people united not by privilege but by knowledge, and a future built not for some, but for all.