The Pigeonhole

On top of the $30 million already given to private schools, the Government is providing a further $10,000,000 for scholarships.  By the sound of it this is a return to the limited voucher scheme National introduced in 1995, the Targeted Individual Entitlement (TIE).  The intention of the funding is to enable students who would otherwise not be able to afford private schools to do so. 

And they would want to do this because?  According to Associate Education Minister, Heather Roy, it would be because private schools "set a benchmark for quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness".

There is virtually no way of measuring the truth of this statement.  While private schools continue to select their students from the well-heeled culturally-endowed middle class and the state schools they are being compared with have to take all comers, there's no contest.

It might be thought that giving students from poorer homes the chance to attend a private school would give a valid point of comparison.  Unfortunately no.  A study of the English variant of the scheme, the Assisted Places Schemes, showed, predictably, that the schools selected children whose parents may have been struggling financially but who had significant educational and cultural advantages.  The schools never intended to risk their reputations for "quality" education by taking on challenging students from disadvantaged homes.  That's what the state system's for isn't it?

Anyway if private schools are so efficient and cost-effective why are they crying poverty and asking to integrate?  If a state school tried arguing that it didn't have enough money to do a good job, ERO would be brought in to whip it into line.  Why not try the same thing with private schools?