Vote totals:
Yes:
50%
No:
50%
Neutral:
0%
DEBATE: MEANS-TESTED TUITION FEES SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR STATE SCHOOLS
MEANS-TESTED TUITION FEES SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR STATE SCHOOLS
Families who value education highly pay too little for it
Many wealthy parents benefit from very good state schools and would be prepared to pay for their children’s education.
They are already taxed enough and should be able to expect good education in return. If education is provided for free then they are probably quite happy with that and would be less content if they were suddenly forced to cough up.
MEANS-TESTED TUITION FEES SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR STATE SCHOOLS
The introduction of means-tested tuition fees in the state sector would lead to better state education
More funding may well lead to better schools.
Money isn’t a magic bullet; more funding isn’t the answer to everything, as the state of the NHS demonstrates.
MEANS-TESTED TUITION FEES SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR STATE SCHOOLS
State school tuition fees may force out private education
State schools would be better-funded, which may attract families who currently ‘go private’ to ‘go public’. Private schools may also be tempted to go public.
Private education isn’t just valued because it costs a lot. There are other factors involved, like tradition, ethos, religion, etc. Plus a system where money is redistributed would leave private schools worse off than before.
MEANS-TESTED TUITION FEES SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR STATE SCHOOLS
All education should be free
What’s important isn’t that education is free but that it is available to everyone at reasonable cost. Means-tested tuition fees would provide this.
We all have a right to free education, just as we have a right to free speech. That some parents would pay more for their children’s education doesn’t mean that they should; instead they should be free to spend their money on the other things that go into bringing up a well-rounded person.
MEANS-TESTED TUITION FEES SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR STATE SCHOOLS
If any redistribution is called for, this should be done through income tax
The rate paid for education should depend on the quality of education received, and so must depend on the school attended. Tuition fees would provide this dependency and allow for more localised accountability (see below).
We have a perfectly good means of increasing funding for state schools: increasing the rate of income tax for higher earners.
MEANS-TESTED TUITION FEES SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR STATE SCHOOLS
Bad management is the issue, not lack of funding.
There may be some truth in this, but funding isn’t an insignificant factor. You need money to buy sports equipment, put on plays, support trips abroad, invest in suitable buildings, etc. Besides, a tuition fee system might allow for more localised accountability.
Schools could be directly accountable to the parents who funded them if less successful schools were paired with more successful ones and redistribution took place within that ‘closed’ pair. That way, funders (parents) would know where their money was being spent and if it was being spent wisely.
The current target regime in schools means that good education is stifled. Private schools benefit most not from more funding but from less centralised accountability. This allows them to be more flexible, more innovative, and better as a result. Money isn’t the issue.
