Education and Knowledge Transfer

UK has an odd mis of public and private. Private is virtualy exclusivly for people who are relativly wealthy, and tends to be better quality. Public is in theory for all, but due to the wierd poscode lottery fetish the British have, means that wealthier people often get better publicly funded education than people who just happen to live in poorer neighbourhoods.
The situation is in some areas considered such a problem, that authorities are taken up the bussing kids to other school districts approach use in parts of the US to aleviate percieved racial seperation in schools.

So if the UK system is anything to go by, simply having a publicly funded school system is in itself not enough, its all about its implementation.

In France, education is free till the end of high school (17-18 years old).

University requires fees never superior to 300 euros (including an advantaeous social security) and many actually don't pay it.

Traditionally private schools are ill-regarded, and tend to specialise in weirdos incapable to succeed in the normal curriculum.

Nonetheless private can buy a top quality education:
- one term to two years abroad is almost compulsory in the good society and the EU does not provide it.
- many use private professor to cope with their difficulies
- some unis have already managed to get higher fees (2000 euros) and soon all will be entitled to set their own fees.
- some disciplines are solely taught in private institutions (architecture, business) or have a huge number of them (applied arts, paramedic).
- most of the life-long-formation is private

In my opinion the voucher system is certainly the best one:
- education is free, i.e. private schools monitored by the state can thrive but public ones can too.
- parents can decide were to put their children, they are granted a certain sum of money to pay the fees and can get aid from the government or special foundations or special low interest loans. The fees must be limited at a certain percentage above the sum automatically granted to all parents.
- schools must accept a certain number of poorer students
- special programs could be launched to help the schools performing poorly.

As a result you'd get the advantages of free concurrence without most of the disavantages. There would be no miracle, but surely it would help.

Christ, and i thought 3000 pounds for a whole year was bad.

Originally posted by kasper 500 euros?! In the US, a semester at a decent university costs about $10,000 or more.

A state or city college/university is still decent and is less than that(if you don't dorm) per year but yeah, its very sad to see what a business the education has become like everything else in the US.
And for what it...it doesn't necessarily guarantee you a decent job anymore..


Edited by vulkan02 - 04-Jul-2007 at 20:21