The Commanding Heights

Australian bloggers Andrew Norton and Andrew Leigh will debate public education in a series of posts.  Judging by Andrew Norton’s first missive it will be a good debate.

People are used to the idea of state schools, so they don’t think about how
uneasily government-controlled education fits with liberal democracy. If someone
said that Australia’s media should be owned by the state, with journalists told
by the state what they should say, with media audiences examined to make sure
they had absorbed the official line, there would be predictable and justifiable
outrage.

Yet public education means essentially that for Australia’s young people. The
government owns most schools, employs most teachers, tells them what to teach
through state-set curricula, and examines students to make sure they have it
right–even kids escaping to private schools can’t avoid these last two aspects
of state-run education. And unlike state-owned media, there are severe
consequences for ignoring state education….

Hat tip to New Economist.

Addendum: Andrew Leigh’s first reply is here.