Not entirely. Employers have been complaining at the educational standards of school-leavers. Folk know something is wrong, but they aren't prepared to raise taxes to deal with it, which is what they need to do.
Anglo-Saxon cultures tend to be polarised, educationally speaking. Private education tends to be very expensive and very good. State education is perfunctory.
If you come from a 'clever' home, a state education can be an advantage: all you have to do is better than the willful ignoramuses around you. There is a weighting system run by Oxbridge to favour folk from the state sector: so middle-class kids from academically inclined families (who usually can afford private tuition to supplement the state education) can obtain advantages in the Oxbridge selection procedures. And still almost half Oxbridge places are taken up by private school pupils.
A pair of Oxford Dons, one of whom I was in school with, have sent their children to the local private school as day-pupils, despite the costs (academics don't make that much money), because they value their kids' education so highly, and despair of the state system. Four times £17K ($34K) a year would take a dent out of anyones' savings.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-02-13 11:57 pm (UTC)Employers have been complaining at the educational standards of school-leavers. Folk know something is wrong, but they aren't prepared to raise taxes to deal with it, which is what they need to do.
Anglo-Saxon cultures tend to be polarised, educationally speaking. Private education tends to be very expensive and very good. State education is perfunctory.
If you come from a 'clever' home, a state education can be an advantage: all you have to do is better than the willful ignoramuses around you. There is a weighting system run by Oxbridge to favour folk from the state sector: so middle-class kids from academically inclined families (who usually can afford private tuition to supplement the state education) can obtain advantages in the Oxbridge selection procedures. And still almost half Oxbridge places are taken up by private school pupils.
A pair of Oxford Dons, one of whom I was in school with, have sent their children to the local private school as day-pupils, despite the costs (academics don't make that much money), because they value their kids' education so highly, and despair of the state system. Four times £17K ($34K) a year would take a dent out of anyones' savings.