A concern of late has been the “middle class flight” of students from public education to private schooling. This issue is explored by a recent article about the commercialisation of private education due to extensive public funding which is segregating society and reverting to old class society ideals as the article points out that “Australians like to view themselves as egalitarian but, in terms of education, we are an increasingly segregated society.” (Young 2013) Clearly, then this is a highly debatable issue within society because of loyalties or beliefs about certain schooling systems. This article will be reviewed in conjunction with Beamer’s views of “budgeting affecting these institutions in critical ways.” (Beamer, 2011, p.7)
The transition from private to public education in Australia began in the 1980s as startlingly “In 1982, 76 per cent of Australian students attended government schools. In 2012, only 65 per cent did.” The similar education systems of America and the United Kingdom in which students educated in private institutions is 7% and 10% respectively, highlights the hugely privatised and commercialised workings of Australian education. (Young 2013) I suggest that this can be attributed to political matters as the private school system is used in political campaigns to sway voters. Indeed this is the case for coalition who “Ideologically… sees private schooling as an integral choice” (Young 2013) regardless of the fact that this is not a choice that everyone has the capacity to exercise. Whilst the backlash of redistribution funding in 2004 warned them off such an issue, so essentially is not touched by Labor. Thus we can see political parties are exercising their power to promote private education influencing parent voters.
Furthermore the effective marketing by private education to parents often speaks of ''academic excellence, values, opportunities, nurturing, quality facilities and academic results.'' (Young 2013) Consequently these social and student effacing features of private schools are hyped up to influence school choice. Also private school fees range up to $30,000-plus a year and these fees as further increased by government support in the form of subsidies as “Australian private schools receive extensive funding,” (Young 2013)demonstrating the money and marketing driven commercialistic minutiae of private education. Beamer supports is notion as she says, “private institutions often find it necessary to generate a large percentage of their revenues from their core business—in this way, behaving much like a commercial entity.” (Beamer, 2011, p.9)
Given this current situation of middle class flight partly due to school marketing and budgeting differences, funding should be revised to even the playing field for all students and lessen the pressure to receive private education. Also too commercialism should take less priority as I feel it is of utmost importance to ensure that both public and private schools are fulfilling their “fiduciary responsibilities” (Beamer, 2011, p.11) because higher education overall is essential to both individuals and the public.
References
Keating, J. Klatt, M. (2012). Australian concurrent federalism and its implications for the Gonski Review. Journal of Education Policy. Vol.28, No.4. pp.411-426
Kenway, J. (2013), Challenging inequality in Australian schools: Gonski and beyond. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education. Vol.34, No.2. pp.286-308
Tovey, J. (2013). 200 schools worse off in the new scheme. Sydney Morning Herald. Published on October 23rd 2013. Viewed on October 25th 2013. <http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/200-schools-worse-off-in-new-scheme-20131022-2vz9n.html>
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