Put Stop to Funding Private Schools

Put stop to funding private schools -- the headline on a letter to The West today (22 Feb 2010) -- I could not have said it better myself. Why should the government pay money to schools which cater for people who refuse to use the government-funded state schools?

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In his letter, David Carlson compared private school subsidies to private car subsidies: "The government provided bus services and if you chose to use your own car then the costs were your concern." This, he wrote, was the argument in 1950, when governments were under pressure to fund private schools.

When Catholic education was the only option for poor families, then fine, support the Catholic schools. They were providing de facto government schooling. That argument no longer applies: the government provides state school facilities for everyone. For everyone who wishes to attend a state school.

Are there parents who wish to insulate their children from those violent children who attend public schools? The more you back away from those issues, the worse they become. The more funding you take from public schools -- to fund your private educational havens -- the less money there is to help the children at public schools.

Are there parents who are afraid that their children will be tarnished by those nasty heathens who are allowed to attend public schools? If your religious -- or other -- views are so weak, so suspect, that they can be altered by talking with other children, perhaps you do need to isolate your children. By all means, brainwash them in a private institution. But do not expect the government to pay for support of your questionable minority views.

Take what is given. Or be prepared to pay the full cost of your chosen alternative.

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