BREAKOUT TIME FOR BC EDUCATION
Parents cannot stand idly by while their children’s education development languishes. In their wisdom parents probably had already made plans for their children’s registration in a public school come Sept. All that remained was to get supplies and legally sign them in.
Mike de Jong, Minister of Finance, announced, that if the teacher strike prevents regular public school attendance come this Fall, the government would fund parents at the rate of $40 a day to “utilize that money to acquire tutoring for their children, they can use the money to explore other educational opportunities as they see fit and for some parents, it’ll be basic daycare.”
That was not just a ploy to get collective bargaining back on track. There are some very sound public policy and governance principles supporting this move. There is every reason, without much restrictions, why we can’t break out and do some creative problem-solving here, knowing that good principles are at work.
1 Financial – This is a Finance Matter, not an Education Matter. Taxpayers provide dollars for education to happen. Who better than Finance to distribute the money to qualified clients and provide accountability for the money?
2 Money – Follows The Child – It is actually parental responsibility in the first instance to see that their child is educated and the parent will be held responsible for proper use of that money.
3 Devolution In Practice – Why should a central government operate a near-monopoly service when those closest to the action can best administer and manage?
4 Citizens As Self-Determining, Self-Sufficient – Even as public monies are used for the purpose of a well-educated public, the aggregate effect of assorted independent efforts are just as likely, economically, to produce as good results as something organized from afar. This leads to self-reliance rather than dependency on the state.
5 Diversity, Not One-Size-Fits-All – Parents can choose from choices already available (tutoring, independent schools, on-line service, etc.) or help in developing new schools, free schools, or other learning networks. Customizing as necessary for special needs of the student can be encouraged.
6 Innovation – There is a great stimulus for innovation and entrepreneurship once money is freed up. The government and public at large should be very pleased when modernization and experimentation is initiated at the grassroots level rather than by bureaucrats top-down.
7 Political Principle Of People Having A Voice In Decisions That Affect Them Is Put Into Practice – Parents should be genuinely included in decision-making about their children and their prudent use of the $40 day will likely meet the trust placed on them. The book by Seymour Sarason — Parental Involvement and the Political Principle — goes so far as to propose abolishing the existing governance system that deters parents. Pasi Salhberg, a leading international speaker on behalf of the Finnish Model of Education says that in a group of 10 discussing education policies only one should be a teacher, and that parents should be involved.
http://eltorofulbright.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-interview-with-pasi-sahlberg.html
The distribution to parents of pre-teens of the education dollar at the rate of $40 day, in the aggregate, would likely produce exemplary results at least equal to the present centralized program.