Our Space and Education
A lack of school choice traps children in the neighborhoods they were born into, with the same social environment, for the duration of their education. Essentially this limits their freedom of movement, both physically as well as in terms of social mobility.
Students cannot associate with people from outside their neighborhoods and economic status, and are stuck in their assigned school. This is against the very essence of the New Physiocrats and the movements that preceded it, which went to great lengths to advocate freedom of location and shared public space. Public education must therefore change to a voucher system, where public schools have flexibility over how they operate, and where funds are tied to the student, in addition to just the schools themselves, so that students can choose a school in any district. Education without a voucher system is a monopoly, and comes with the harmful effects that come with all monopolies. Students and families must be free to pick their own schools, regardless of location, and should not be inhibited by the luck or misfortune of being born in a specific location. The freedom of movement in the realm of education would be compounded with the ULT’s effects on the densification of cities and towns. Schools run by companies, industry, and Sectoral Banks must also be factored in to a country’s educational planning to ensure high levels of employment and labor market flexibility.Summer holidays for students (up to the age of 18) would be replaced with a form of national service (e.g., forest protection, litter cleaning) in different parts of the country from their own. Each summer students could explore new locations across their country, and associate with people of different social or cultural backgrounds who are part of the country’s social fabric. This would further boost the sense of physical and social mobility, a core New Physiocratic value. It would also serve to improve physical strength, and instil a sense of national unity. The final year would culminate in a challenging, but brief, military training course, which would act as a rite of passage into adulthood.