Sometimes it is too hard to pass up a good thing. Free burgers for your class? What a great reward. Free time at a computer store? What a great educational opportunity. Kindergarten students given free pencils by a global stationary supplier? A good way for them to start school.

The kind of marketing directed at our youngsters of school age can be scary. Of course, we all know young minds are adaptable and easily influenced. Give them some free time at a computer store and some will end up driving their parents mad with demands of new purchases – as if it didn’t happen enough already!

Schools need to be discerning in this type of marketplace. They need to ensure that educational gains for the students are not put out for dollar incentives from the corporates. Indeed, they should be paying the school handsomely to be able to market to them.