Alex Massie Alex Massie

Logic, School Choice, Milton Friedman… And Polly Toynbee

Unsurprisingly, Brother Nelson has a useful primer on some of the latest skirmishing over the Tories plans to introduce (in England) Swedish-style education reform. I’m also pleased he highlighted this Polly Toynbee column since, while she tries to claim, erroneously, that Sweden’s Free Schools are merely middle-class playthings she ends up by arguing that:

The only countries where children succeed according to talent and perseverance more than social class are the most equal societies: the Nordics, Japan, the Netherlands. Whatever the school system, Britain’s dysfunctional inequality will usually trump teaching.

Japan is a case unto itself for all sorts of reasons, but it’s worth observing that two of her other favourite countries – Sweden and the Netherlands – are societies that have embraced the logic and power of school choice. And since everyone agrees that education is vital, one might think that the school policies pursued in Sweden and the Netherlands have played some part in making them the kind of society that Mrs Toynbee so admires. Simple, really. Unless, of course, you’re Polly Toynbee.

Previous items on school choice – in the UK and the US – here, here and here. Also: it’s disheartening to think that this isn’t a new argument at all: Milton Friedman made the case for school vouchers  – that is, school choice – as far back as 1955. Friedman argued that:

“Government,” wrote Friedman, “preferably local governmental units, would give each child, through his parents, a specified sum to be used solely in paying for his general education; the parents would be free to spend this sum at a school of their own choice, provided it met certain minimum standards laid down by the appropriate governmental unit. Such schools would be conducted under a variety of auspices: by private enterprises operated for profit, nonprofit institutions established by private endowment, religious bodies, and some even by governmental units.”

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in