The Pros and Cons of Education Privatization

This is the rough draft for my first writing assignment in my Introduction to Critical Inquiry class at St. Edward's University. I touched upon my initial feelings regarding this class in my previous post. This essay's guidelines are to have a roughly 500-word limit (this draft has about 860) and to present the central reasons why you strongly believe something as well as the central reasons of those who would disagree. The topic of this essay is my belief that education should be a private matter among individuals and the state has no place in those matters.

Charles Hueter
Rene Eakins
A-NCCI 3330: Belief Paper Essay
August 31, 2004

A Strong Belief of Mine

Of the many issues on which I possess an opinion, the situation regarding how to fund a child's education is one that gives rise to an uniquely high level of emotion. Until recently, I passively borrowed the common opinion that state and federal governments should shoulder this financial burden. However, upon deeper reflection and the consistent application of my principles, I am now of the opinion that only individuals are responsible for their education and therefore, the public school system should be replaced entirely with a privatized and fully independent system of education.

There are several good reasons for this belief and though one justification has already been stated, it needs further elaboration. Only individuals can act. A group is a social abstraction created for purposes of mental organization. Responsibility is a function of causation and therefore only individuals can be responsible for actions, for they are the only entities capable of performing them. Asserting the state or any group is responsible for our education perverts the doctrine of responsibility.

It must be understood that an education is, at a fundamental level, the result of a service. This service can come in the form of home schooling or an organized effort on behalf of hundreds of strangers in exchange for something. As such, it is no different than delivering pizza, selling cars, or offering Internet access. If the experience of the last century has shown us anything, it is that a free market will outperform a restricted or unfree market in most - if not all - respects. Additionally, one has but to glance at the news to see instances of parents vehemently disagreeing with the form and substance of the education their children receive at the hands of the public school system - often for very good reason.

The combination of these two reasons results in a moral reason to oppose state-funded education: to say the government should pay for school is to actually say citizens should be forced to pay for the educations of others. For how could government pay for the billions necessary without taxation? Suppose I do not wish to pay for Billy's education and suppose I calculate the portion of my yearly taxes that go towards that education. If I were to simply withhold that portion of my taxes and refuse to pay it (and assuming the criminal justice system were to function effectively), I would be charged with something I would not recognize as a crime. Supposing I was unable to get out of the punishment in court, I would be fined, possibly jailed, and may have my wages and assets seized. The result of refusing to pay for Billy's education is physical violence against my person and my property. I declare that act is no different than an armed robber's.

To discuss this point of view amongst the public is to take a very controversial and unpopular stand. Common objections to my belief would take several forms. First of all, many would state that a true laissez-faire system of education would result in a great portion of children going without an education due to an inability to pay the costs associated with schooling. Obviously, the greatest percentage of people unable to afford an education would be among the lower rungs of the economic ladder and they would both benefit the most from a solid educational background and need it the most in order to acquire wealth. Education is a right that should not be abridged on the basis of one's class.

Another objection would be concerning the nature of the education obtained from a system unrestrained by government. In such a system, educators would only have to follow the guidelines set forth by their employers and those guidelines would be as loose as the school's owner wishes them to be. Therefore, it is possible "corners will be cut" and kids will get a quick and cheap education designed to maximize profit at the expense of quality. It is also possible students would be exposed to false or invalid information and reasoning that may mar their ability to successfully integrate future data. The lack of enforced standards would hurt the nation as a whole.

In addition to these criticisms, opponents of a fully capitalist education system claim that due to any number of mismanagement issues, a school system could go bankrupt and close its doors, leaving dozens if not thousands of students without classrooms and teachers. Even though a campus would be as free to be insured and bonded as any other enterprise, economic failure is still a potential issue. It wouldn't be right to leave students in the lurch like that.

Even though the arguments of those who disagree with me have merit, they are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the functions individuals within a free market perform. Just as product and service quality increases within a free system, so too would education. More importantly, such a system would be based on the universally recognized principle that forcing you to do what I want against your wishes is morally invalid and wrong.

I welcome criticism in the comments. This paper is due tomorrow, so unless you get in your few cents now, it isn't likely your suggestions will make the cut. Style and form criticism is preferred over content, but if you feel the need to speak out on that as well, go ahead.

I'll post the final draft tomorrow.

UPDATE(9/1/2004 4:40pm)
The final draft is up.

Posted by Drizzten at August 31, 2004 08:33 AM