Chapter 27 : Education

Seeing that Minister Pierre decisively agreed to his request, Arthur nodded with satisfaction and, with a slight smile, said:

"Minister Pierre, as long as you successfully complete the three-year plan, the credit will undoubtedly be yours. But do not forget something important: while we develop our steel industry, we must also ensure the construction of other necessary industries."

"Yes, Your Highness," Pierre replied solemnly.

"Industrial development requires vast sums of money in a short time, Minister Pierre. I will allocate 12 million pounds, to be paid over three years. I will also provide all the necessary industrial equipment. I look forward to seeing the results," Arthur said, maintaining his smile.

With the appropriate equipment, the 12 million pounds over three years would amount to 4 million pounds annually, a considerable sum by any measure.

"Yes, Your Highness, I promise to fulfill the task," Minister Pierre said, suddenly standing up and addressing Arthur with great solemnity.

"Good. Now that the industrial sector plan is temporarily settled, it's time to address the education sector, isn't it? As the saying goes, education is the foundation for a nation's progress. Only with a large number of talents investing in the development and construction of the country will Australia have real hope of rising," Arthur said, turning to the Minister of Education, Richard Norbert Chapman, with a smile.

"Your Highness, the state of education in our country is currently very backward, with a literacy rate of just over 60 percent. This may seem low, but the primary school graduation rate barely reaches 51 percent, and almost half of the population has not even completed primary school. On one hand, this is due to our relatively low per capita income, which makes it difficult for some families to afford the cost of education. On the other hand, Australia's educational environment is very poor, and we do not have enough schools to accommodate all school-age children," said Minister Richard Norbert Chapman, standing up and offering a wry smile.

Although Minister Richard had done good work in education in Tasmania, where the population was relatively small, the challenge for all of Australia was much greater.

To fully resolve the education problem, it was not only necessary to build enough schools to house students but also to reduce tuition fees to the minimum possible so that most Australian families could afford them.

"Does the Ministry of Education have any good solutions?" Arthur asked.

Arthur was also well aware of the state of education in Australia.

Logically, most of Australia's population came from European immigrants, who generally had a high level of education. However, the reality was that many of these immigrants were gold seekers, drawn by the gold mines and the gold rush sweeping the country. Most of them were very poor people who could not afford a decent life in Europe and crossed the ocean in search of opportunities to survive, or even to strike it rich.

Under these circumstances, it was a remarkable achievement that the literacy rate and primary school graduation rate remained above 50 percent.

"Your Highness, I believe our current education policy should prioritize the development of basic education, rapidly improving the literacy rate and primary education coverage. According to the general trend, with the construction and development of our country, many high-income jobs will be created, and these jobs generally require certain specialized knowledge and skills. Although our basic education cannot provide all that knowledge, it will at least make workers more adaptable when entering those fields," said Minister Richard.

A person with knowledge and education has a much greater chance of learning quickly than someone without a solid educational foundation.

Australia will certainly create a large number of technical jobs in the future, and those positions will be filled by Australians. This means the government must quickly improve the population's educational level, or at least significantly increase the literacy rate, so that Australians can quickly adapt to these positions when they are created.

"Good, continue," Arthur said with a satisfied expression, gesturing for Minister Richard to go on.

"Your Highness, there is another benefit to prioritizing basic education: we do not need to worry as much about scientific research infrastructure and the lack of specialized teaching staff. I believe our priority must be to popularize basic education across Australia. At the same time, we should allocate part of the funds to build a key university, which will not only fill vacancies in national universities but also become the cradle of our future talents. If this university has sufficient research funding, it could make significant contributions to our task of attracting talent from Europe," said Minister Richard, smiling.

Education in Europe was of high quality, and each university trained a large number of talents every year. However, precisely because of that, there were always people dissatisfied with their situation who sought other avenues to achieve their dreams.

If Australian universities offered substantial research funding, they would surely attract passionate scientists who could not secure enough funding in their home countries. Once these talents arrived in Australia, it would be easy for the government to retain them.

This was the purpose behind the unlimited research funds mentioned by Minister Richard: to attract talent to Australia by providing large amounts of research funding.

"Good, that is an excellent suggestion. How much money does the Ministry of Education need in total? How long will it take to see the results of expanding basic education?" Arthur asked.

Richard's proposal was excellent. It would not only save the government large sums but also improve the state of education in Australia and even attract talent in the future.

However, until tangible results are seen, all of this is just talk.

"Your Highness, if we focus solely on basic education, we will need to build primary schools in both urban and rural areas of each state and city. The required funds will vary depending on the size of the areas, but according to my conservative estimates, about two million pounds would be needed to popularize basic education. The construction of primary schools could begin in six months, and the improvement of the educational environment within a year," Minister Richard explained after a moment of thought.

"And what if we also consider the universities that need to be built?" Arthur asked.

Regardless of the costs, universities will always need to be built, as they are the foundation for training high-level talent.

Therefore, the costs of building a university must also be considered, and if possible, implemented as soon as possible.

"Your Highness, the cost of building an advanced university could exceed one million pounds. If we also account for the funds needed to purchase scientific research equipment and recruit talent, the conservative estimate would be around two million pounds," Minister Richard replied after a long reflection, with a surprising answer.

Arthur nodded slowly, considering the Minister's words. Education was a fundamental pillar for Australia's future, and although the costs were high, the long-term benefits justified the investment. With a solid education system, Australia could not only develop its industry and economy but also position itself as a global hub of knowledge and talent attraction.

"Minister Richard, your plan is ambitious but necessary. We will approve the necessary funds for the construction of primary schools and the key university. I expect to see significant progress in the coming years. Do not forget that the future of our nation depends on the education of our people," Arthur concluded with a firm and determined gaze.

Minister Richard nodded solemnly, understanding the magnitude of the task ahead. He knew that the success of this project would not only mark his legacy but also lay the foundation for Australia's rise as an emerging power on the world stage.

. . .

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