http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/05/03-4
I read this article today and thought immediately of PTL. There is something perverse about describing education in economic terminology, teachers as "producers," students as "consumers," and applying the mythological "free market" to higher education. This is especially disturbing in light of a recent lawsuit being brought against a for-profit college chain under allegations of fraud. Is this the "free market" we want in charge of our education?
There is little doubt that privatization is actually harmful to the consumer when it comes to services. Medicare's administrative costs are a fraction of those of the private insurance industry. Privatization is proving a blow to public libraries. And of course, for-profit colleges suck up federal dollars to give worthless degrees to students who are then forced to default on their loans because they cannot find a job (as the article on fraud mentions, for-profit colleges make up 12% of the students in higher education, but takes in 25% of federal education aid, and 50% of students who default on education loans attended for-profits).
To end with a question: Is it wise to treat a school like a business?
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