Question:
I believe the suggested voucher system is a good idea. For too long our children's education has been handicapped by governments thinking they know better than the headteachers how schools should be run. Privately owned enterpizes subjected to the forces of competition are almost invariably more efficient than their state owned equivalents. IMO there should also be more room for variations in cirricula between schools to reflect the fact that no two children have the same educational needs. The only worthwhile restrictions are that basic literacy and numeracy are taught and that religious or political beliefs are not presented as fact.
Answer:
I have worked in the world of education in Britain since 1973. My experience has included secondary schools, colleges of further education, adult education, and universities. Without blowing my own trumpet, I like to think that I know what I am talking about. My opinions are, of course. my own - Imean to say that they are grounded in experience.
We are talking about education, not just teaching or 'training'. After all, I can experience the latter courtesy of the British School of Motoring. An education is a crucial process. We take a child, a teenager, or a student and help them to realise their potential in a number of ways - in terms of motivation, personality, self identity....the list is endless. We try and make it possible for them to realise themselves as human beings.
That is the theory, anyway. Education is about other things to, but suffice it to say that most societies have seen it as a thing of value throughout history. It was seen as a true mark of civilisation. The Victorians could understand this point of view, and I find it odd that some people on this n.g. cannot comprehend it.
A voucher system is nothing more than a means of subsidising particular schools. In the state system, every school has to provide a uniform minimum educational standard. Given that many schools have to cope with the consequences of major social deprivation, they will need greater resources. A voucher system will make matters far worse by diverting resources away from such schools. I also suspect that it will reinforce socially divisive 'faith schools'
