A good education can provide a pathway out of poverty, but how do we improve the quality of schooling in poor countries? One solution is to enable low-fee private schools to flourish.
In this episode of the 'Solutions With David Ansara' podcast, I speak with Prof. James Tooley, Vice Chancellor at the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom, and author of several books on education in the developing world.
Prof. Tooley and I discuss:
- Why parents in poor countries tend to prefer low-cost private schools to free public schools.
- Why international aid agencies are reluctant to acknowledge the role of private schooling in development.
- How teacher's unions undermine accountability and quality in public schools. - Whether low-fee private schools provide a sufficiently high standard of education.
- The effectiveness of voucher-based systems.
- How private schools help young girls to be better educated.
- The potential for disruption in higher education.
TIMESTAMPS:
(0:00) Intro
(0:29) The importance of low-fee private schools in the developing world
(3:00) Private vs. public schools in poor countries
(4:56) Do low-fee private schools have lower standards?
(6:58) The state-centric bias in international development
(12:36) The politics of education
(18:08) The business of education
(21:48) Is standardised testing desirable?
(25:55) Voucher systems
(35:15) Civic education
(38:25) The benefits for young girls
(42:11) Alternative models of higher education
(47:05) Conclusion
RESOURCES
'Really Good Schools' by James Tooley (2021)
'A Beautiful Tree' by James Tooley (2013)
VIDEO
WATCH this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/c9mU1vOU4RM
