Donald Trump is many things; he’s chaotic, unpredictable and some would say even a man of his word. As promised during his presidential campaign, the US president signed an order on Thursday (March 20) aimed at “eliminating” the Department of Education, a federal agency established in 1979 that oversees the enforcement of federal law in schools.
Surrounded by schoolchildren sitting at desks set up in the East Room of the White House, Trump smiled as held up the order after signing it at a special ceremony. Trump said the order would “begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all.”
“We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible. It’s doing us no good,” said Trump. “We’re going to return education back to the states where it belongs.”
The move raises big questions for the country’s millions of public schools, student-loan holders and parents.
What is the Department of Education?
The Department of Education, a Cabinet-level agency, was set up in 1979 by Jimmy Carter to oversee national education policy and administer federal assistance programmes for schools across the country.
Since its inception, the main responsibilities of the Department of Education have been to distribute federal financial aid for education, collect data on US schools, identify major education issues, enforce federal education laws prohibiting discrimination and implement congressional education legislation. It’s important to note that the Department of Education doesn’t set up curriculum for schools; that responsibility lies with the states and individual districts.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/donald-trump-department-of-education-students-future-impact-explained-13873245.html.
