A question of choice or opportunity?

Even if the State gives parents vouchers to send their kids to private schools, the fees for extra curricular activities, club memberships and social networking will still keep the riff-raff away.

James Debono 19 August 2010, 12:00am

3 min read

The private school lobby is calling for state subsidies in the form of vouchers and tax rebates for parents who send their children to independent schools. Or else, they risk shutting down, an argument which raises the question: does the State have any obligation to subsidise a loss-making private operation? The answer is obviously not.

But private schools also present a rational economic argument when they claim the State would end up spending more money if these schools close and the cost of educating these children is borne by State schools alone. I don’t have the facts, but I suspect that there is a grain of truth in this argument. But it still does not address the fundamental question of whether taxpayers should fund and thus encourage parents to send their children to “elitist” schools, when the whole gist of the national curriculum is to encourage social inclusion. Actually, the government already subsidises choice through tax rebates for parents sending children to private schools.

But not all pro-choice arguments are based on protecting elitist enclaves. In theory State subsidies to private schools can make these schools accessible for all. If every parent rich and poor alike, is given a voucher which can be used in any school of his or her liking, private schools will become as socially inclusive as public schools. This system seems to have worked to some extent in Holland, where 70% of students attend private schools.

But will it work in Malta? As we all know, while some parents like the ethos of private schools, others simply send them to these schools simply because they do not want their kids to mix with the riff-raff attending state and church schools. I do not blame them for such a personal choice, because class distinctions in Malta are far from a thing of the past, and unfortunately the lower one’s life expectations are, the greater are the chances of exhibiting aggression and other undesirable characteristics. But rather than encouraging such choices, the State should address the underlying causes of this social malaise.

I suspect that even if a voucher system is introduced, fees for extra curricular activities, club memberships and other hidden charges and social networking will still keep the riff-raff away.

Secondly such a system could result in a fragmentation of the educational system which makes social integration a harder task to achieve. The less the integration, the greater the social divide and the greater the risk of state schools becoming ghettos. One potential danger could be posed by denominational schools, which while paying lip service to the curriculum, may actually undermine belief in scientific truths and public policy in matters like sex education.

This leads us to the final raised by the private school lobby. Why does the state subsidize Roman Catholic Church schools and not independent schools? The answer is simple: the church had agreed to pass its land to the government in return for state subsidies for its schools which became free for all. So this makes Church schools a class of their own.

Ironically this system was the consequence of a “socialist” battle for free education which actually entrenched confessional education in the country. The fact that despite the influx of State money, some Church schools refused access to medical students engaged in anti-Aids education does not bode well for repeating this experiment with say, evangelical schools who deny the existence of dinosaurs or global warming.

James Debono is MaltaToday's chief reporter on environment, planning and land use issues, ...

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Peter Cassar •

Censinu I did not live that experience as i was born in 1974. From what i read and hear it seems the educational reforms of the 1970s had a noble aim (comprehensives schools as in most of Europe) but were implemented wrongly and in the absence of preparation, something typical of old labour i guess... In fact just a few years later the project was abandoned in favour a rigid tripartite system of education. I agree with you that the college system has the same aim as the reforms ushered by Labour in the 1970s. But it was introduced so gradually that it did not elicit the same degree of opposition.

I think one major problem in Malta is that due to a number of reasons some based on perceptions others on realities, a number middle class people end up paying for education when the vast majority of middle class people in Europe send their children to government schools, despite earning better incomes.

Jean-Claude Pace •

Madoffi, fejn dawwart il-kliem? Did I say that what you were saying was being said in reference to the current situation? I believe that what you promote is social segregation becuase you said that it is natural for people to stick to their own (quote: is there not a universal natural segregation in all activities in every country which is determined by, among other things, income, manerism and behavior?), and as long as I know you were commenting on the education system. it is true that people tend to segregate themselves, however the level of segregation varies greatly from country to country, even from region to region. Also, some aim at reducing this segregation and especially its affects, others would prefer the status quo, or even strengthening segregation. Could you please tell me what you mean by inclusive as you use it, i.e. in the context of education in Malta in the 1960s? In what way did Labour mess up with education in the 1970s? With the intorduction of comprehensive education? And isn't the College system primarily based on the same principles? I do agree that some state schools are facing some problems. This can be said for instance for some Secondary schools, especially since the closing down of opportunity centres. Of course this will all change / is changing with the college system. Maybe it's better to wait and see. It's natural for the non-State sectors to have much less problems, they can easily expel students, state schools can't. Well yes there are *all types* in each school...are you implying that vandalism should be associated with children coming from a certain type of economic background? Or am I just misunderstandign you? And by the way, I do not get hot under the collar if you or anyone else criticise a political party, be it Labour or Nationalist (or any other party). I understand that your criticism for the policies of the 1970s and 1980s are not a result of partisanship but of careful analysis. Mr. Debono, I never said you wrote those words, I just felt that you concurred, especially since in a previous post you agreed with Madoffi that Labour screwed up Maltese education. Did Labour make a mess of education wit the introduction of comprehensive education? Why than, do you agree with a College system that is based on the same model? Having said that, I have nothing against private schools. It is just that it's quite strange how subsidies from which pensioners, low-income families etc. benefit are being cut while at the same time proposals for subisides from which the affluent will benfit are being proposed. Why should Joe the plumber subsidies the education of people who look down at him?

Peter Cassar •

my reference to upper middle class families in my previous post must be qualified by the fact that wages in malta are still (relatively) low even for professionals and therefore it is probable that even those who send children to independent schools struggle to keep up with expenses and expectations...

Peter Cassar •

I never wrote about State schools being invaded by "streetwise, penknife wielding, knuckle duster carrying and foul mouthed 'students,' I simply said that increasing class differences and educational segregation contribute to social malaise especially in some localities. I know many people from state schools who are the opposite to penknife wielding and foul mouthed. I have family members and close friends who performed well in state schools. And a lot of good things are happening in our state schools. Personally I also agree with the system of educational colleges especially if this is accompanied by smaller classes. My concern on education is to secure equality of opportunity for all as well as a critical culture which is so lacking in Malta. I do understand many of the concerns raised by some parents who send their children to independent school for this aim. On the other hand it is also true that these schools attract mostly people from upper middle class background-nothing wrong in that, my point was whether the state should intervene to subsidise them? But ultimately Malta will become a better society when all children are given the tools not just to climb up the social ladder (something which still defies our high percentage of students who do not even have basic skills) but also to think critically. On a positive note i think that unlike many of the correspondence on my other blogs, this blog has elicited an informed and intelligent debate which made me think and made me remember that the world is not black and white but composed of many shades of grey.

Joseph Grech •

Idawwarx kliem Censinu! I described what happened in 1972 and later at the Lyceum in Hamrun and not what is happening now. Can you quote where have I advocated 'social segregation strengthened through the educational system'? I remarked that social segregation based on income, mannerism and behavior occurs anywhere (not only in schools). It Was James Debono who localized my statement within schools in his last sentence of his comment. Is Censinu getting hot under the collar because I implicated the socialist government of the muddle in the education system in the 70’s and 80’s? I never said that the decision to raise the age of mandatory school attendance by the labour Government was not a step in the right direction. On the other hand you avoided any reference to the main disaster which spawned the current state of affairs and the loss of the preexisting inclusive state education system. I also never generalized about state schools. In fact many if not the majority of state schools have reasonable to excellent results. It is the state schools in some localities which have a bad reputation and have unfoundedly dragged the rest with them fueled by the mess created in the past. I am an apologist for neither political party. Unfortunately this whole discussion has veered off from the main point - Is it justified for taxpayer’s money to help independent schools remain open? I have tried to explain that it is not all taxpayers which would fund this aid but rather the tax from the very parents sending their children to independent schools. As I have said, €242 per year per student. Vandalism and anti-social behavior shown by some students may come from all schools, but I have never seen the high incidence of hooliganism I witnessed in Lyceum in the early seventies. Today, if what Censinu says is reality, it goes to show that it seems there are all types in any school, be it state, independent or church run

Jean-Claude Pace •

Madoffi complained about State schools being invaded by "streetwise, penknife wielding, knuckle duster carrying and foul mouthed 'students' with no intension to acquire an education" and Mr. Debono seems to agree. Do Mr. Debono and Madoffi disagree with the decision Labour had taken to raise the age of mandatory school attendance? There is one reason which contributes a lot to CHurch schools' success rates; they can expel students at will. Thus, part of the statistical sucess of Catholic Schools is due to the fact that they keep the best-performing students while dumping the rest. Of course no state school could do that (not that ANY school should do that), while I guess that it would be very unwise for private schools to start expelling students, considering their present situation. What madoffi is advocating in his first comment is social segregation strengthened through the educational system. I tend to disagree. Will the children of parents who shelter their children from reality by avoiding their contact with the other be able to adapt when they enter into the real world, i.e. when they start working / have their own business etc? And by the way, in no way can one say that children attending Private or Catholic schools are all angels. As relatives of mine tell me, vandalism is quite common in some of the non-state schools, apart from other anti-social behaviour problems which one finds in private and Catholic schools, and not just State schools. In some aspects, state schools are better than the non-state sectors. For instance, it is not uncommon for non-state schools to have teachers which are not qualified in the subject they teach. I believe that the greatest problem with State schools is that the senior management teams of such schools have extremely limited autonomy, and this situation was made worse with the establishment of the college system. Another factor is that policy-makers have the tendency to introduce models which might sound good, but which in reality might not work. These models are rejected by the same policy-makers who introduce them as they do not send their own children to State-schools but many of them opt for the non-State sectors. So why don't these same policy-makers stop experimenting with other people's children and give these children the same kind of education which albeit unenlightened they choose for their own children? Having said that, I don't disagree with parents have the right to choose the school in which they want their children to be educated. Of course, being affluent (and being affluent is in no way related to being well-mannered or well-behaved) makes it possible to choose.

Anthony DeBono •

James i think you need some more research on this subject. As a parent of 2 small kids who go to an independent school i do not agree with your conclusions. I strongly believe that a lot of parents decided to send their children to independent schools with the objective that their children receive a more forward looking education, where children enjoy going to school and not attend school in fears of exams. This decision meant a lot of sacrifice and definitely did not do it in the name of elitism. In fact in their class they have children from all strata of society and this is definitely healthy. therefore next time before putting pen to paper please do some research on the profile of the parents

patrick calleja •

"n return for state subsidies for its schools which became free for all. So this makes Church schools a class of their own." Oh come on James please acknowledge that Church schools are the ultra privileged lot not just in a class of their own. State education is the all time loser and independent schooling at an unfair disadvantage. State schooling is failing how else can you explain the statistics for school leaving illiteracy and the governments’s reluctance to participate in international education audits?? The government has conveniently abdicated responsibility for primary education to the Church, which ultimately means that there is no real choice for secular education. How that will translate economically and socially only time can tell. State schooling will fall further behind than it already is as students and teachers migrate to church schools and government forced to invest more in church schools. How will that increase social capital for children left in the state school system? What is very enlightening is that the same vocabulary used in the eighties against Church schools is now being leveled at independent schools. It seems choice is not an issue any more, but what remains consistent is the fact that Church schools are the sacred cow. Most informed parents consider a number of factors in choosing schools for their children e.g. as you pointed out school ethos, curriculum content, pace and delivery, teacher/pupil ratio, performance in national and foreign examinations, special needs provision, respect for gender inclusion and gender equality and a healthy attitude towards science and civil right. Please don't reduce it to anti egalitarianism and elitistism. If for instance you want your children to go to a school that reflects society you'd at least hope that the school is gender co-educational to start with. An environment that should help neutralise gender stereotyping. Which state or church run school offers it at secondary level? Look at the Dominicans, they once had great plans for co-education but were forced by some powers that be to abandon them, hence you can rest assured that segregated schooling will still be the norm in a Church run system. The philosophies of Gramsci, Freire and Milani aren't necessarily applied in state or church schools for the matter, as you well know. Church schools are always at an advantage and still ostracise children from low-income families because they are in effect still 'fee' paying schools and some state schools matter a lot more than others to the authorities concerned. You can find elitism and emargination in both the Church and state school systems. Holland as you correctly pointed out has a system where parents can truly choose which schools to send their children to. At best what most parents have in Malta is a non-choice, the Church school system over a run down and failing state school system, and a struggling independent sector with crippling fees. How is that for choice? Parents can create social capital for their children's vertical mobility if they truly have choice in the type of school they send their children to.

Joseph Grech •

"Viewing education as an instrument of social mobility rather than one which perpetuates inequality" Thinnly spreading the 5000 students which are calculated will be attending independent schools in 2020 between all other state schools will not make a difference to 'social mobility ' Not many people know what it was like in 1971 when as an 11 year old I attended what was than the best performing state secondary school on the island which was suddenly wrecked with the admission of streetwise, penknife wielding, knuckle duster carrying and foul mouthed 'students' with no intension to acquire an education. Things have changed since then, but not in all localities and their respective area state schools. There are parents who send their children to private schools simply because they were not drawn at the church school lottery. What is unacceptable is that the numerous voices objecting to any form of subsidy to independent schools are likely those who are net beneficiaries from the ‘common pot’ or do not have children of their own and any income tax they may be paying is being ploughed back in their direction. What effectively is being asked for is for more of the tax that private school parents are paying into the ‘common pot’ is returned as aid to the independent schools to ensure there existence in the long term. That's €242 per year per student. And for readers’ information I do not have a double barreled surname, have obtained my education from state schools and I lived with my parents in a two bed-roomed flat in Bormla. If anybody wants to call me elitist because I send my kids to an independent school they do not know what they are talking about. I agree with James Debono that in something as fundamental as education there should not be (misquoting me) "a universal natural segregation in all activities in every country which is determined by, among other things, income, manerism and behavior." I never said that this is desirable and did not specifically say that this happens only in schools. Mr. Debono did not deny that such segregation does occur everywhere else outside school premises....... and one can change that by alowing independent schools to die out?

Peter Cassar •

I have nothing against people sending children to private schools and am aware (as stated in the ) that some of these parents do so as they believed in the school ethos. I simply expressed my doubts on the state financing this private choice. I am fully aware of the mess made by misguided reforms in the 1970s. But I tend to view education as an instrument of social mobility rather than one which perpetuates inequality. I disagree that in something as fundamental as education there should be "a universal natural segregation in all activities in every country which is determined by, among other things, income, manerism and behavior."

Joseph Grech •

I do not think James Debono is old enough to remember what series of events lead to the formation of independent schools. As a journalist he has no excuse not to know about political decisions on schools and education that had been taken in the mid 70’s and early 80’s and their far reaching consequences. The origin of independent schools has its roots in these inverse elitist (- bordering onto the communist -) decisions taken by the socialist Government at that time. The preexisting inclusive education system had been granted an irreversible and irresolvable fatal blow. The scope of creating the independent schools was surely not elitist but a sincere concern by parents about the outcome of the so called education reform at those times. The schools were organized and set up by a few concerned parents who not only had organizational skills but undoubtedly could afford it. I thank them for being able to create an alternative in an atmosphere of antagonism by the Government of the time. Yes there is no doubt that paying for an education at independent schools is a barrier to the children of low income earners. What choice is there than. Branding such schools elitist is bigotry at its best. Apart from well off politicians angling for votes who out of necessity mingle with the so called common citizens (what exactly is a common citizen as opposed to a rare citizen?), is there not a universal natural segregation in all activities in every country which is determined by, among other things, income, manerism and behavior? Before Mr. Debono and other contributors continues to carry on with branding private schools elitist, could them please qualify this tag and ensure that all parents are the archetypical rich snobs with a family history of nobility. I am sure that among parents who send their children to private schools we can find well off persons who still seek to spend some time in the village ‘Gazin’ or bar for a ‘te jew birra mal-klikka’ and others who have opted to send their children to private schools at great personal sacrifice. The bad reputation of some state schools is closely linked to social problems in the localities they are found in. The decisions taken in the 70’s and 80’s have in some localities compounded the segregation of the children who come from families which do not foster a love for education. The current unfolded scenario consists of schools of certain localities with a ‘no go’ reputation. This situation is squarely the fault of politicians. But we know that not only are politicians protected by parliamentary immunity and a thick skin when mistakes are made but they are never made accountable.