I just noticed that Gordon Brown today called for "worldwide free education". Read it HERE.
All well and good, but the World Bank, when it assesses a country in debt crisis, imposes as part of Structural Adjustment Plans (SAPs), cuts in spending on schools, an end to free education and healthcare and many other harsh impositions. The aim of these SAP's is to ensure that these countries are able to free up capital. However, the effect is to keep their population ill, lower the average age and ensure the population grows up more uneducated.
So Gordon Brown, kind words need to be matched by deeds. Tackle the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to do what you propose.
1 comment:
I think the IMF and World Bank are probably correct.
Education is expensive to provide, we can't provide for other countries (that gets too close to a form of educational imperialism) and any money would end up in the coffers of the corrupt.
If we really want to help combat extremism we should be engaging in free trade, encouraging others to and raising people out of poverty in the only way which really works.
It is also not the government's place to be doing this. Charity should not be forced from us but given freely and the government would only mess it up anyway (just look at our state sector - its failing for the most part - despite the valiant efforts of teachers).
Education is vital, but we cannot just solve the problems with grand gestures like this. We must allow free trade, allow immigration to the west from these countries - immigrants will take skills back with them. We must support investment in those countries - the so called sweatshops increase the educational level of their employees massively - probably more than any grand gesture by the government ever will.
Simplistic grand gestures made for political reasons at home will not solve the problems of this world (unfortunately - if they did then we'd have a wonderful world to live in).
Post a Comment