When you go out to buy a pair of sneakers, you quickly notice that there are the most diverse products on the market, with different prices and features. Companies do not necessarily compete to offer the best products, but rather to deliver them Which guarantees more sales.
In a fair market, the state should not participate or, in any case, support all companies to the same extent and provide the best information to consumers.
This chart can Transfer to the educational system? As for the “Educational Freedom” project – which is officially spreading, although no one in the government has acknowledged it – this appears to be the case.
It does not say so explicitly, but the spirit that runs through the entire initiative aims to do so Transforming education into a consumer commodity Regulated by market logic.
The proposal enshrines the right of families to “freely” choose the school (or form of non-school education) for their children.
From that hypothesis, Obligating the state to fund private schools on an equal basis with public schools. Specifically: It stipulates that the state invests each student in a private schoolIt cannot be less than what is done in a government school.
To achieve this, demand financing mechanisms have been activated, such as the famous “vouchers”, or… Public funds that will go directly to families.
Currently, the state also helps private schools, especially in paying teaching salaries, but it does so with subsidies and according to the criteria of the social function, region of residence, educational project or tariff level. The new scheme turns this possibility into State commitment.
Project too Requires the publication of standardized test results for all schools (today prohibited by law), under the pretext of providing complete information to parents to guide their choice.
This idea sounds plausible, but it is far from neutral. Initiative progress Competition between schools to show better resultswhich may conflict with comprehensive training.
The expected model is not new. A similar system was implemented in Chile during the Pinochet era. The result has been strong growth in private schools – mostly For profit-And A Weaken the state.
There was Segregation of secondary schools: The best-performing students were concentrated in some private schools, while the students with the greatest difficulties remained in public schools.
Moreover, many schools, in search of more money, They prioritized preparing students for standardized tests Instead of providing broader education.
Argentina has another tradition. Since the 1980s, with Sarmiento as the logo, it has been conceived Education as a right, Not as a consumer good.
Law of 1420 establishing the school Shared, free, obligatory and secular for all Country boys. This is the basis of citizenship, equal opportunities and national integration.
In recent decades The results were very bad, but not because they followed those principles.. Therefore, the challenge is not to abandon it, but to modernize and enhance it.
The state can finance demand and move towards a more market system, but that is what is needed today Maintain a high-quality public presentation Which integrates, equalizes and shapes citizens Complexities and requirements of the twenty-first century.