No matter what educational reforms are executed, how will social equality be achieved if children are not given the same opportunities from the beginning of their education? This seems to be the guiding thought behind Labour councilors who want private schools to be shut down in the UK to end education inequality.
This campaign by the Labour party gains special attention as Boris Johnson, who is touted to be the next Prime Minister of Britain is also an alum of Eton, the most prestigious private school in the UK. The annual fee of Eton is forty thousand GBP.
Labour against private schools to end education inequality
Over two hundred councilors are backing the campaign to dissolve all private schools in the country. In an attempt to end class segregation at the school level, the private institutions should be managed by the state and their assets governed by local authorities.
They demand that Labour party add this in their manifesto before the next general election.
The practical implications of such a move aside, one can appreciate the emotions behind such a call to end education inequality. There have been reports published which says that only seven percent of students in the UK are going to private schools. Even so, sixty-five percent of senior judges, over forty percent of news columnists and sixteen percent of university vice-chancellors are educated in private schools.
The supporters of this movement believe that the Labour party will help create a system that provides equal opportunities to all students irrespective of their economical background or the education of their parents.
Earlier this year the “Social Mobility Commission” reported that the “inequality has become increasingly entrenched from birth to work” in Britain. It is a matter of great worry that in addition to the existing education inequality, the shortage of funds has led over two hundred schools to reduce the number of fo working days to four.
