A theory that may explain school privatization, charter schools, etc. [View all]
Basically, whenever i see stuff on charter schools, I think about a important two line test in an 90s era trade agreement and how its parsed by the WTO and similar trade bodies. Its a two line definition and test that become very important in global higher education and I think it also applies to K12 education.
the test is from the WTO general Agreement on Trade in Services Article I:3 (b) and (c) and it reads:
"For the purposes of this Agreement…
(b) 'services' includes any service in any sector except services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority;
(c) 'a service supplied in the exercise of governmental authority' means any service which is supplied neither on a commercial basis, nor in competition with one or more service suppliers." (emphases added)
Read some more about the two line test here
My theory is that by pushing a few charter schools we are setting our country up for an eventual privatization of public education in the same way global higher education is being privatized by trade deals such as the WTO GATS. (You can all read lots of media commentary - there is a huge debate going on about that in India, a debate we never had even a tiny bit here in 1995 when we signed on to it.)
Do you think this might be important in understanding why there is so much pressure to privatize and so much hostility towards long term investments in public education from neoliberals?
because it presents a roadblock to their vision for a future privatized world, perhaps?
= new reply since forum marked as read