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Ques No: 13-20
Parents prefer private schools. A global survey in 2017 found that they were a lot more likely to give the teaching at their children’s school a positive rating if it was private than if it was public; parents in Chile have voted with their children’s feet in favour of the private sector. The private sector’s efficiency is one reason why it does well at providing access to education. Another is its speed: in fast-growing cities, governments struggle to provide schools, but wherever there are people, schools spring up.
Governments are often less keen on private education. Some of the reasons for their hostility are bad ones: a reluctance to cede power, the opportunity for patronage, the influence of teachers’ unions. But some are entirely in order: governments need to promote quality, access to schooling and equity. The private sector is good at some, but not all, of those. Yet well-designed public-private partnerships can work. Two of the world’s best education systems—those of the Netherlands and Hong Kong—are based on them.
The main reason for the private sector’s superior efficiency seems to be teachers, who are paid less and are more likely to turn up for work than at government schools. Politics has a lot to do with that. Teachers’ unions have huge bargaining power and can, therefore, protect their members from being held to account for poor performance. An Indian study found that in 3,000 government schools, only one principal had ever dismissed a teacher; among 600 private schools, 35 had.
Parents prefer private schools. A global survey in 2017 found that they were a lot more likely to give the teaching at their children’s school a positive rating if it was private than if it was public; parents in Chile have voted with their children’s feet in favour of the private sector. The private sector’s efficiency is one reason why it does well at providing access to education. Another is its speed: in fast-growing cities, governments struggle to provide schools, but wherever there are people, schools spring up.
Governments are often less keen on private education. Some of the reasons for their hostility are bad ones: a reluctance to cede power, the opportunity for patronage, the influence of teachers’ unions. But some are entirely in order: governments need to promote quality, access to schooling and equity. The private sector is good at some, but not all, of those. Yet well-designed public-private partnerships can work. Two of the world’s best education systems—those of the Netherlands and Hong Kong—are based on them.
The main reason for the private sector’s superior efficiency seems to be teachers, who are paid less and are more likely to turn up for work than at government schools. Politics has a lot to do with that. Teachers’ unions have huge bargaining power and can, therefore, protect their members from being held to account for poor performance. An Indian study found that in 3,000 government schools, only one principal had ever dismissed a teacher; among 600 private schools, 35 had.
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