Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Education: sometimes it’s not complex (a reply to Nick Dennis)

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

This is a good overview of some of the arguments for and against 'independent schools', or what we would call here, 'provate schools'. It's a response to Niick Dennis's post Beyond Raincoats and Stereotypes, which defends the schools. My views align with Belshaw's. Specifically:

  • Independent schools are walled gardens that charge for entry.
  • We should address the causes of selfish behaviour, rather than institutionalize it
  • Choice and and better provision within the state sector are possible
  • Independent schools militate against a more equitable distribution of wealth
  • Sschools have charitable statuswhile charging £30,000 per year make a mockery of charities who do valuable work

In a nutshell, to my mind, independent (private) schools create a weakness in society by undermining its cohesiveness and creating greater power-law distributions of wealth and infleunce.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 21, 2024 1:02 p.m.

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