Reviews for Education without the State

The average rating for Education without the State based on 1 review is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-07-21 00:00:00 Barry Oakes This academic paper probes the main arguments to have education organised by the state. Its case study focuses on the UK, but reasoning can be extended to any country. It takes note that state schooling has led to functional illiteracy, youth deliquency and a lack of technological innovation. Still, it seems only few parents favour private initiatives to set up education for their children. Dr Tooley shows that there is sufficient historical evidence from Victorian England where grammar schools and boarding schools offered high quality schooling without any state intervention. Those in favour of state education argue that private schools may enhance inequality. Dr Tooley replies that often efficiency and equality are a trade-off. Next to that, given each one has a different set of skills and talents, he wonders whether inequality is such a bad thing after all. In the current system, one size fits none: brilliant college students get bored while the less skilled have a hard time catching up and drop out. A wider range of schools based on public demand could match with the existing student population. Last but not least, the author tackles the issue of the national curriculum. During the 80s, PM Thatcher has established a minimum of topics a school should cover. Dr Tooley argues that due to competing visions, one will never come up with a consensus on what subjects should be dealt with and how. E.g. multicultural societies are currently struggling on how to raise topics like WW II, homosexuality and others. Since Dr Tooley is a market believer, he thinks that markets can determine better what curriculum should be offered. Of course, every nation has its particular schooling system and educational tradition. For example in the case of the Flemish region, both state (either on regional or municipal level) and Catholic Church have their own network of schools (the latter also subsidised by the state). But next to that, the last few decades, one notices that on the political left, Steiner and Freinet have become more popular, whereas traditionalist Catholics and radical muslims now have their own schools too. Will the current and future ministers of education find a way to keep all students on board in the current school system or will the centre fall apart and open opportunities for new private initiatives?