Darkstone Code

Chapter 1078 - 1076: Compulsory Education

Will Sabin City become proud because it has a top-notch private university? Lynch doesn’t know.

But Lynch will be proud of having this university. He will take on the titles of Honorary President and Student Council Honorary Chairman. As it’s his own university, he can pay himself a salary, which means an additional source of income.

Most importantly, such an outstanding university is sure to have considerable tuition fees. Primarily, it will accept applications from exceptional students funded by the Angel Scholarship Fund and those who have insurance or loans from Darkstone Insurance.

There’s no problem at all with getting a loan from Lynch to attend his school. In fact, due to all processes being centralized, the efficiency in handling some issues far surpasses other combinations.

A good university brings Lynch not only fame and social standing, things he doesn’t really lack.

An identity as a "contemporary young leader" is enough for him to accomplish many tasks. What he needs is talent, talent in all areas.

Without a doubt, graduates from his university will better meet his demand for talent. At least he knows how to mold these students into what he wants.

Upon graduation, they can start working to create profits for Lynch, realize their own value, and earn money to repay loans—it’s a streamlined production line.

The mayor pursed his lips, feeling a bit parched, and licked them, "How much are you planning to invest, Mr. Lynch?"

"Around two to three hundred million, including both elementary and secondary parts, but they won’t be together..."

"And I have one thing to tell you before doing all of this..."

Lynch glanced at Catherine, who knew it was her cue to speak. She smiled and took out a document from her handbag.

The mayor was drawn in by the work as he received the document. Catherine said, "Our elementary and secondary schools will not charge any extra teaching fees; they will provide free lunches, and this will be consistent from elementary to secondary education."

"These are different from the schools on the market, so Mr. Lynch and I don’t consider them regular schools. We call them..."

"Compulsory Education Schools!"

"Compulsory Education Schools!"—when spoken by different people, it evokes different feelings.

When Catherine mentioned "Compulsory Education Schools," it simply felt novel, but when the president said this fresh term, it brought a feeling hard to describe with language.

It’s as if a huge change swept through an entire sector of the nation upon him uttering those words!

He looked at the report in hand, couldn’t help but laugh, his fingers tapping on it, drawing everyone’s attention in the room.

"Compulsory Education Schools!", his laughter grew louder, a genuine delight made it impossible for him to suppress his compulsion to laugh.

Sometimes he felt very fortunate, first recommended by his university professor to intern in the state government, then stepping directly into politics after graduation.

He hesitated for a long time in choosing a party, eventually joining the Progressive Party, influenced by his radical thinking in youth.

After joining the Progressive Party, many within the party fostered him. He rose from city legislator to senator, even gaining the opportunity to run for president.

Though he knew his presidential candidacy was driven by the Progressive Party’s concessionary conservative strategy—sending an unlikely-to-win candidate to maintain power for the most likely winner.

He understood this from the start, but didn’t complain, because he also wanted to try, just in case he succeeded?

In those years, the Conservative Party held onto votes and public opinion tightly, the public liked their isolationism, which is now escapism.

Thus, he failed.

Failing to become vice-president also didn’t change much, more like just coasting; and after retirement, he could act as a broker and open his own firm.

Given he was vice-president and had been senator, his standing was bound to be better than that of ordinary senators, right?

Even if he had no hope of becoming Federation president, at least he could achieve wealth accumulation and enjoy freedom.

At such a time, the president got impeached and it even succeeded! Where could the president seek justice?

Everyone knew the impeachment and resignation were not really his fault; it was just bad luck that he happened to be the Federation president at that time, so he had to shoulder the responsibility and thus he was doomed.

He got a chance; according to the Federation Charter, if the president can no longer exercise authority due to impeachment, death, etc., the vice-president becomes the Federation president.

His luck was good, and thus he became president, then was introduced to Mr. Truman, whom he regarded as his chief staff officer and confidant.

Truman reciprocated by giving him countless benefits, many of which were beyond value measurement; subsequently, he met many interesting people, including Lynch.

"Compulsory...", he savored the word, "Wonderful, it means people won’t spend much on their children’s elementary and secondary education."

"Every child could receive good foundational education, especially those free lunches. Coming from an ordinary family myself, I understand how attractive a free lunch is to ordinary families."

Some things are just meant to be listened to; the president comes from the most typical Federation middle-class family, with a father once a manager at the Federation’s fourth largest firm and a mother who was a high school teacher.

Comparing himself to being from an ordinary family is just his habitual act.

To make portrayals seem genuine, the simplest way is to first consider them real!

"Do you think this method...is executable?", the president looked at the others.

Everyone engaged in low murmurs, the science education minister coughed lightly, calmly without any emotional display on his face.

"Mr. President, I don’t think we can use this method as a suitable means for promotion. If you opt for this, then we’ll be facing an education budget in the sum of even several billion each year!"

The president raised his eyebrows, "Why do you say that?"

Emperor Gafura had once marvelled at the Federation president’s work with an "envious" tone, claiming that being Federation president required no skill, just ability to persuade capitalists to invest in oneself, allowing even a dog a chance to win the presidency.

But being Emperor of Gafura required understanding of most tasks within each department.

No need for mastery, but at least awareness of each department’s and every person’s work and its impact on the nation.

The Federation president didn’t need all that, "As long as they’re waving a golf club over coffee with capitalists during an afternoon, they can become a beloved president"

This was part of Emperor Gafura’s original words, revealing his contempt for the Federation president.

An incompetent person!

An ignorant person!

You can’t say he’s wrong; most of the time the Federation president is just a politician, and politicians aren’t required to be knowledgeable about everything. Their sole task is to ensure they keep winning elections, so he asked a question that might first make Emperor Gafura laugh and then fall silent.

Why would compulsory education increase the education budget by billions?!

The science education minister pushed his glasses up on his nose, "Mr. President, currently the budget for educational institutions in various regions isn’t significant since they can charge student tuition fees."

"This is also the source for teachers’ salaries, funds for school equipment, and maintenance except in a few particularly difficult areas that we cover; elsewhere they basically manage profits or losses themselves!"

"If we reduce tuition and other enrollment fees, it means we must take responsibility for wages of teachers in all public schools nationally, and equipment updates, and building maintenance will also be ours to cover."

"An additional billion budget annually is just a relatively optimistic estimate, it might be even more!"

Federation has over two hundred cities with more than seven thousand public schools of various levels. Each school roughly employs thirty to fifty teachers, taking an average of forty, that’s two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand salaries.

Teacher salaries are slightly higher than workers’, averaging four hundred twenty to four hundred sixty per month, take a middle value of four hundred forty.

Monthly wages amount to over a billion, annually that’s thirteen billion.

Considering other costs, perhaps only school-related education budget annually would be as high as twenty billion!

Federation’s current fiscal situation doesn’t support such a sudden budget increase.

If schools maintain their current status, reasonably charging students, then annual education budget would be merely three to five billion.

That equals a classroom of students supporting one to two teachers, which reduces government budget.

But if students no longer support teachers, Federation government must bear responsibility for teachers’ wages, equipment updates, and building maintenance.

Hearing the exorbitant figures, the president felt a headache coming on.

"Why can Lynch do it?"

If Emperor Gafura faced this issue, he’d contemplate it silently himself, questioning why Lynch could do it rather than verbalize it.

This would portray him as inept, lacking face especially in front of ministers.

But for the Federation president, it didn’t matter. Some Federation citizens even correlate the president with being dull-witted. He doesn’t wish to strain his brain, just decide and sign!

Make a choice, then sign and stamp, that’s his specialty!