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The Forum > Article Comments > Voice and choice > Comments

Voice and choice : Comments

By Graeden Horsell, published 18/4/2007

An education monopoly motivates governments to provide schools that are just good enough to avoid large-scale voter rebellion.

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Dealing with the Mob

I don’t know how PnCs (presumably in NSW or Qld) work but legislated governing bodies such as School Councils in Victoria, Governing Councils in South Australia, Boards of Trustees in NZ, and Boards of Governors in the UK for instance, there a legislated prohibitions against employees of the Education department and local schools from ever taking control – they may be members as parents, but in the minority of parents elected, and overall in the minority on the board. Similarly, they can not hold office.

Consequently some principals find it hard to work with a governing body which is not manipulable, and the decisions of which the principal must abide.

If there was more information, and a lot more, available to parents about schools (achievement data, culture, sports or other specialties etc) then parents would be better placed to make choices.
As it is there is, as has often been described, a 'conspiracy of silence' about how good our schools are, and so it makes it difficult for many parents to move past being assigned or allocated their local school, to making an informed choice.

Choice, nevertheless, as far as I am concerned is a fundamental right, and parents should organise themselves to ensure parents rights have currency and enforceability.
Posted by Caedmon, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 2:30:23 PM
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