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Exploring a controversial issue in education series ... Public Funding of Private Schools

This pamphlet is also available in PDF format

Background

Though private schools are nothing new, the privatization of public schools is a recent development that seems to be spreading across North America. Government decisions to provide public funds to private schools, give parents vouchers redeemable at public or private schools and make fees paid to private schools tax deductible are all examples of the privatization of public education.

One purpose of all these moves to privatize is to reduce government expenditure on public education. Generally, it costs taxpayers less to educate students in a private setting because parents cover much of the cost themselves. As well, privatization of public education is philosophically attractive to those who believe that a private enterprise system is more efficient and produces superior results in all circumstances.

Beliefs

Supporters of public funding for private education believe that

privatized schools are more streamlined, more effective and less costly;
privatization increases school choice, and competition between schools fosters excellence;
privatization can reduce government spending on education; and
privatization promotes increased accountability and gives parents more control over what happens in schools.

Considerations

Critics believe that

privatizing education primarily benefits a privileged few and contributes to social and economic inequality;
there is no evidence that privatization can educate children more cheaply, efficiently or effectively;
privatization is simply a justification for dismantling public education with no concern for the impact on children or their learning; and
privatization of public education is driven by governments wanting to spend less taxpayer money.

A Closer Look

Advocates of privatization believe that free-market competition is the only way to improve education. They claim that free-market competition, by its very nature, eliminates inefficiency and ensures customer satisfaction.

However, learning and providing a high-quality education for all children are much more complex tasks than the marketplace can understand or accommodate. The concepts of "profit," "lowest-cost production," "selective sourcing" and "standardization" have a place in business, but not in education.

The real danger posed by privatization is that it makes quality education affordable to some but not to others and so diminishes the unity and cohesion of society. The mandate of a public education system is to be open to all children, fully funded by citizens and accountable to society as a whole.