I'm not sure this is so. The reason the state has historically taken
responsibilty
for the education of the vast majority of its population is because
Governemnts
recognised that a growing Capitalist economy had to be able to access a
much
larger pool of educated and skilled labour than the previously ruling and
upper
middle class education systems were able or willing to provide beyond a few
scholarships. Market oriented Education systems seem to quickly degenerate
into
elitist education for the wealthy and no education at all for the poorest,
Brazil for
example.
The voucher system that the new Labour government have introduced
in Britain is actually a step away from the market system. The market was
only
providing Nursery places for wealthier parents, wheras parents of 4 year
olds who
were trying to hold down jobs with meagre incomes had to rely on cheap day
care
and unlicensed child minders, these have now been given Vouchers worth
about
1500 pounds that can only be used to pay for a nursery school place. The
government
hope that Nurseries will be created by the market to soak up this financial
glut. I
don't think handing people cheques and ordering them to spend the money on
something
that doesn't even exist yet has anything to do with free market economics.
If a child is not receiving an education, we are all to blame.
Sean Kenny
skenny@gifford.co.uk