Fundació Jaume BofillUniversitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)

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We are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Debats d’Educació by giving the educational community the opportunity to air its views

How will education be financed in the future?

How will we be able to maintain public education as a guarantee of equality of opportunity? What challenges does public-private hybridisation raise in the education sector? How can fair, efficient use of resources be guaranteed? What alternatives for financing are there in an international context?

In the last few years new models of providing education services have proliferated around the world, incorporating the participation of the private sector to a greater or lesser degree. The current financial crisis increases use of the private sector as a mechanism to ensure the sustainability of public education systems. At the same time, there are agents who maintain that the incorporation of market logic into the education system (competition, free choice of schools, provision depending on demand, etc.) will mean improved efficiency and educational results. Policies including school cheques, charter schools in the US and free schools in the United Kingdom are clear examples of this.

Despite the gradual spread of these policies, the evidence of their benefits is inconclusive. The main risks concern the fairness of the education system. These approaches must be analysed in depth and the associated benefits and risks evaluated to ensure the quality and cohesion of the education system.


 
 

The 3 things they have learned...

Henry Levin Henry Levin
William H. Kilpatrick Professor of Economics and...
  • 1Educational Finance in the Future
  • 2New Systems of Finance
  • 3Evaluation of New Systems of Finance
Jorge Calero Jorge Calero
Professor of applied economics at the University of...
  • 1Good educational finance must leave no pupil behind
  • 2Good educational finance must be supported by good evaluation
  • 3Good educational finance must be based on the added value provided by schools and teaching staff
Eugeni Garcia Alegre Eugeni Garcia Alegre
Associate researcher at CRES-UPF
  • 1The current educational finance system is orientated exclusively towards schooling
  • 2Educational finance must be orientated towards social cohesion and educational success for all pupils
  • 3It is essential to manage resources in a fairer, more efficient way
Ramon Plandiura Ramon Plandiura
Lawyer
  • 1The public and private wealth of the country should first of all be for the basic needs of its citizens.
  • 2Educational finance requires a long view
  • 3The strengthening of public schools, a guarantee of educational rights
Elena del Rey Elena del Rey
PhD in Economic Sciences
  • 1Free universities do not guarantee equality of opportunity
  • 2Free universities are unsustainable
  • 3Sustainability and equality of opportunity: loans with repayment depending on income level?
Carles Armengol Carles Armengol
Associate General Secretary at Christian Schools...
  • 1Education will continue to require increasing resources and public and private finance must be mobilised simultaneously
  • 2There will be a need to be bolder with priorities and to invest much more in the initial stages of education
  • 3The finance of schools will take into account differential aspects, depending on their specific nature